
Originally Posted by
Mariem84
Did anybody ever try to do the relocation themselves??
I mean other than pulling the permit from NZ I am not sure what is going with pet exporter company to charge so much?
really concerned Pup parent
Agree with JandM
When we first immigrated to NZ we thought we could probably ship our pets on our own. However after a bunch of research the task just seemed too daunting. Being in the middle of moving , ensuring our pets had all all of the required vaccinations, documentation, etc. was challenging enough.
Then there’s the approved crates, the booking, paperwork and on-site vet inspections the airlines require… all separate from our actual travel plans.
Plus we had to ship them from a local airport to LAX and then on to AKL. So having to deal with getting them to the first airport, then hoping that they get to the next one intact and on time (comfort stop and water during the layover) and then onto another flight with all of that’s involved… well the stress level was already peaking.
When they get to AKL or CCH they have to be picked up by the local quarantine facility (by law) for the 10 day stay so getting that arranged is a whole other task. FWIW they will go to AKL first even if they are going to CCH, so there's a whole other flight to arrange.
We actually sent our pets ahead of time so that they were out of the house and missed all of the commotion of the movers and such. Not having them under foot was a big plus for us and likely for them as well. We were able to focus on other important matters. During that time the pet export people kept us informed about their progress. We could email or call them any time we felt the need and they got right back to us.
In the end it was spendy, but having professionals with the required experience handle the bulk of the issues was worth it for us. Knowing that someone dedicated to our “fur kids” welfare from the time they were picked up to the time we were reunited with them gave us peace of mind and allowed us to concentrate on moving ourselves and our entire household to the other side of the planet.
YMMV of course, but if/when we return we’ll do the same thing.
Hope that helps and safe travels!