So I follow this American expat blog http://brokenluggage.wordpress.com and they just released a free e-book: http://www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/101980338.
They are an American couple who moved from Texas, USA to NZ. They went to NZ on a visitors visa with nothing but themselves and some luggage and made the move permanent the more difficult way. They had some money with them, no jobs, no work visa. This e-book is a compilation of their relevant blog posts, a lot of which I read during my initial research days.
Hope this helps you folks who are in the early to mid stages of your journey to NZ.