Before you embark on your trip to NZ you will have to consider what extra household items you may need or may not need in NZ. This website has been all about planning for your trip to help you settle into your new lifestyle.
Since arriving we thought we may have considered all things necessary but soon discovered we did not have our checklist covered!
Here are our 4 top tips!
1) Money for Hidden Extras:
I cannot stress how important it is to have more savings than you think is needed. Expect the unexpected is often my moto! You may need a quick “coming back to England fund” in case a loved one unexpectedly becomes ill, *touches wood* this never happens…but you never know!
You may find yourself having to live in a more expensive area or style of house (say a 2 bedroom place instead of a 1 bedroomed place, as a 1 bedroom place is not much bigger than a shoe box!) due to work locations or not wanting to live where you originally wanted to live! Or you may find your self-spending more money on a car as cars for £1000 are simply not up to scratch! Read more about this from our buying a car article!
2) New Zealand has No Gas:
Almost all households in NZ do not get installed with a gas pipe. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. There is gas in NZ but most “sections” (land) gets sold with no gas pipe’s so most residences have never bothered installing it. Expect to have to be forced to get used to electric ovens, so get rid of that gas kettle and say good bye to your trusty Wok!
3) Bulk Buy Before You Arrive:
Everyday items in NZ are expensive! We purchased in bulk, toiletries, make up, medications and brought them with us in our shipment. After seeing how much contact lenses’ are here I am glad I have brought a year’s supply of the prescription and solutions beforehand!
Also consider that when you arrive you will have a awful lot of out goings, so if you always meant to buy that expensive bike, buy it before you leave the UK and bring it with you. You will save yourself money in the long run! To check out how to send your items over to NZ check out our article here!
4) Consider Your Electrical Items:
Think about what electrical items you are bringing over with you. Will your TV work in NZ? Will that FM Radio work? (Yes, DAB Radio – No!) To find out check out the information direct from the immigration’s website.
http://www.dol.govt.nz/immigration/knowledgebase/item/6188
If they don’t work get them on Ebay straight away and sell them they will be no good to you in NZ! Also note that Freeview in the UK is not the same as in NZ and they aren’t compatible, so if your TV has an integrated UK Freeview receiver, then that part won’t be very useful in NZ! However if you TV has HDMI, then you can ‘bypass’ these issues by getting a suitable external “tuner”.
Also consider the plug situation. NZ use the 3 pin plug photographed at the top of the article so you will have to switch all of your plugs to get your appliances to work. Or to get round this pre purchase in the UK one of these nifty items below then you just need a few adapters! Don’t expect to be able to buy the adapters in NZ, we have had to order some in from China which take 20 days to arrive as the price of them here are very expensive. We could order them in China for a tenth of the cost of what you can buy them for in electrical stores over here.
All these things we have got caught out on! Do check out our article on living costs in NZ for handy tips on how to set up a money/budget planner or this article to find out the cost of moving to New Zealand from the States!
Did we miss anything out that you didn’t consider before your move to NZ? Let us know by commenting below!