We are only two weeks from departure to NZ! It's a bit tricky to plan since we don't know whether we will be transitioning from a visitor visa to a work visa during our stay, but this could be a one-way trip until our next "holiday" back to California.

I've got our storage all packed up and ready to stuff into a container whenever I give the word (i.e. if we get legal residency while abroad), but I'm pondering what to do with our valuables during our (at least) 6 months in NZ.

I'm thinking I'll leave my nicer jewelry and hubby's heirloom coin collection (not that huge, but weighs 28 pounds!!) with relatives until the next time someone takes a flight over. It feels a bit weird to bring them with us now (both logistically and in the eyes of customs). But I'm wondering about the limits of the immigration allowance for bringing personal belongings over. Is that a one-time thing, or can you leave and re-enter and still bring more valuables? And, could someone else bring them to us when they visit? Or would that be an odd thing for them to have to declare at the airport?

The less desirable option is to keep everything in our storage unit and have the shippers load it in the container...

I'm curious what other people have done :-)