Leaving US for Wellington Tomorrow (Aug 30th)

[tk1]

Hard to believe that we have reduced our belongings to 3 bags/150 pounds. Will be in Wellington for about a year, which could be a dry run for a future relocation. First flight to LAX in the AM, then day rate at the LAX Travelodge until our evening flight to NZ. I think the hardest part will be that the endless preparation does not allow for one to catch there breath prior to making the move. But I guess we will run on adrenaline for the first few days. Fortunately, my work does not start until a week after we arrive.

Quick question:

We have active auto insurance in the US. We will be borrowing a car and then buying a used one. What do I need to be road legal in NZ? I know my US license will suffice, but where do I purchase insurance, and is there somewhere I am supposed to register as a driver? We arrive on Saturday, am I allowed to drive right away or do we need to wait until Monday to go through some sort of registration process?

Also, does anyone in Wellington want to meet up sometime in the couple of weeks? We are both about 40 and have a birthday and anniversary to celebrate in the coming weeks. We will be initially living near Evans Bay, so we can get to downtown pretty easily on the bus (grabbing a Snapper Pass at the airport.) We also will be heading to Levin a few times next week to see our quarantined pug, so could meet up the coast if that would work. (I might not get to check this email right away, as we will be up in the air for a bit.)

[TJH]

Its been a long while since we went through this process so someone correct if I am wrong.

When you buy a car there are many places you can buy insurance. We use AMI which have branches everywhere.

You can drive on your US license until you get a NZ one so you can drive as soon as you get here.. You can drive on the US license for a year. If you want a NZ one, simply go to an AA branch and you can get it done there if you are going to be here more than a year. They give you a temp paper license right there and your permanent one arrives in the mail a week or two later.

We are on the other side of the Tararua's from Levin in the Wairarapa. Nice area for a day trip from Welly. Drop us a PM if you head up this way for a coffee. It is always interesting to talk to other American expats.

[Ana&Steve]

You do not need car insurance to drive here, but we went ahead and got insured to avoid paying out of pocket in case of accident/theft. We were happily surprised at the cost, less than $250NZ a year. (we used AA)
PM us if you want to meet up! Steve works in the CBD and we live seconds from the train in Tawa. We are also 40ish (I turned 40 on Monday ) and we've been here about 7 months. We moved here from San Diego.
Happy travels!

[kiwihusker]

Best of luck to you tk1. Hope the job goes well and hope you love Wellington.

[kiwi.]

Off-topic: How did things go with the pug? We're hoping to head home soon (as soon as the house sells) so would love to hear how everything goes. We have visited Shado Lans and I'm sure they'll take good care of him.

On-topic. I believe you can drive on your license for 12 months, and insurance is not mandatory but I'd take out at least liability/3rd party. There are probably lots of options, you could start with an AA office (Automobile Association, not Alcoholics Anon).

Good luck with everything and let us all know how it goes.

[JandM]

I expect you're travelling right now. Hope all goes well.

[sribhat]

Re. the driving license, here's the link to the form the you need to fill up or you can get this form the AA branches as well.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/ap...dl5/index.html

I'm pretty sure that NZ drives in left hand side. All the best and have safe drive..

[tk1]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies. Boarding in about an hour. I can't imagine how this would feel if we knew this was to be permanent. I admire everyone here who has been able to take the leap.

[girlwithanewf]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies. Boarding in about an hour. I can't imagine how this would feel if we knew this was to be permanent. I admire everyone here who has been able to take the leap.

Have a great flight, the weather in Wellington is beautiful. Today at least, tomorrow may be different.
Hope all goes well with the dog, some of the best-known film directors in Wellington have pugs too.....
And nothing is permanent! Opportunities have a habit of arising.

[Manks]

Hope you had a good flight

It is not a requirement to have car insurance here but obviously it is beneficial in case of accident/theft and you're not having to shell out all over again. Other than that you can drive for up to 12 months on your US licence and you won't have to take a test to get a Kiwi one (will cost you about $60 to convert).

Shado Lans is great. Our pooch spent 30 days there under the old rules. She was a bit of a porker when she came out though - a mix of no exercise and feeding normal portions. But the facilities are great and visiting is easy.

We did a day room at LAX Travelodge before. It's easy enough, cheap and the rooms aren't all bad. We got the bus to Manhattan Beach from right outside, had a wander and some lunch. I realise it's too late for you now but might be useful for others

Always up for a coffee. We live in Island Bay but I work in the CBD.