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Thread: Last Call!

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Oregon (Formerly Auckland)
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    345

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oregonkiwi View Post
    NZ lacks big-box pharmacy stores like Rite Aid. Buying ibuprofen etc in little 20-tablet packets at the supermarket is frustrating when you're used to buying 500-tablet bottles. Our California holidays always include a visit to Rite-aid to stock up on things like ibuprofen, vitamins, Tylenol PM etc.
    I remember looking for a bottle of isopropyl alcohol at a local Countdown supermarket one day after we had just moved to NZ. You know, the kind you can easily find at any store in the U.S. for a dollar or two? Couldn't find it anywhere. I asked a clerk and she took me to the beer and wine aisle! Eventually one of our new friends explained that you can only find it at a chemist and then you have to ask for it. Color me confused. Turns out it's used to make meth and that's a serious problem in NZ (and everywhere else), so to try and control it they really restrict it. When I asked for it at the chemist the pharmacist gave me a VERY suspicious once-over but finally agreed to sell it to me...for $11. Live and learn! I wouldn't recommend shipping any from the U.S. though...for all of the reasons you can imagine.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,824

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    Regarding the small packs of ordinary painkillers, I think the law in NZ is like that in the UK. It's CYA. We used to be able to buy them in bottles of 100, then somebody said that taking the whole lot at once could kill you, so they changed it so that any over-the-counter purchase could only be a maximum of 2 packs of 16. This could still kill you, and if you were determined, you could go to a succession of supermarkets and pharmacies getting your 2 packs in each, but there... go figure! Also, if you have a long-term condition which requires regular use of painkillers, your doctor can prescribe them and in that case, you get however many s/he says - my OH regularly gets 2 packs of 100.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Blenheim
    Posts
    1,620

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    Quote Originally Posted by JandM View Post
    Regarding the small packs of ordinary painkillers, I think the law in NZ is like that in the UK. It's CYA. We used to be able to buy them in bottles of 100, then somebody said that taking the whole lot at once could kill you, so they changed it so that any over-the-counter purchase could only be a maximum of 2 packs of 16. This could still kill you, and if you were determined, you could go to a succession of supermarkets and pharmacies getting your 2 packs in each, but there... go figure! Also, if you have a long-term condition which requires regular use of painkillers, your doctor can prescribe them and in that case, you get however many s/he says - my OH regularly gets 2 packs of 100.
    If you ask your GP here in New Zealand they'll prescribe them in big packages, too.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    West Auckland
    Posts
    1,029

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    I agree that bigger packets of painkillers are available - and the first big-box pharmacy store recently opened in Auckland (Chemist Warehouse) - but for someone going from the US to a small town in the South Island, choice is going to be much more limited than they're used to.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    32

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oregonkiwi View Post
    I agree that bigger packets of painkillers are available - and the first big-box pharmacy store recently opened in Auckland (Chemist Warehouse) - but for someone going from the US to a small town in the South Island, choice is going to be much more limited than they're used to.
    That is correct, OregonKiwi. The meds, etc, that people have raised are a good point, and we'll stock up on some of the basics that we usually keep in our medicine cabinet, such as allergy pills, ibuprofen, etc. Enough to get us through 6-12 months until we figure out less expensive avenues to find this stuff. It's not as if we are popping aspirin and whatnot every day anyway, but in my experience, it's great to have things like this on hand while settling in, so you can take care of more pressing shortages, like finding great fresh food and whatnot.

    Really appreciate the input, everyone. Thrilled to be on our way!

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Colorado ->Richmond
    Posts
    159

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    Quote Originally Posted by richsadams View Post
    I remember looking for a bottle of isopropyl alcohol at a local Countdown supermarket one day after we had just moved to NZ. You know, the kind you can easily find at any store in the U.S. for a dollar or two? Couldn't find it anywhere. I asked a clerk and she took me to the beer and wine aisle! Eventually one of our new friends explained that you can only find it at a chemist and then you have to ask for it. Color me confused. Turns out it's used to make meth and that's a serious problem in NZ (and everywhere else), so to try and control it they really restrict it. When I asked for it at the chemist the pharmacist gave me a VERY suspicious once-over but finally agreed to sell it to me...for $11. Live and learn! I wouldn't recommend shipping any from the U.S. though...for all of the reasons you can imagine.
    Lol! Had the same damn problem for our brewery! I could buy a half liter at bunnings for cleaning at some absurd price like $15 to $20 or I could buy 20L through a chem supplier for prices cheaper than in the US.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    852

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    Quote Originally Posted by Heynekamp View Post
    Lol! Had the same damn problem for our brewery! I could buy a half liter at bunnings for cleaning at some absurd price like $15 to $20 or I could buy 20L through a chem supplier for prices cheaper than in the US.
    Same with hydrogen peroxide in my experience - I had to ask, it was behind the counter, in a tiny bottle, and cost a ton. It seemed pretty weak, too - didn't visibly bubble up.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    852

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpotSpot View Post
    Hello everyone,
    We are moving from the USA to a small town on the South Island. We've done the math, and it will cost less to ship our belongings than it will to replace them. The international movers take our container in about 4 weeks, so we're stocking up! I'm buying top-quality bedding (living in AU taught me that "high quality" is relative and it's hard to find top-notch bedding down under), extra shoes and hiking boots/gear, the hair/bodycare I like that is super-expensive in NZ, outerwear, and some of next year's-sized clothing/shoes for my daughter. Also extra laundry detergent/toilet paper etc since we have the room. Not that soap or paper is more expensive there, but we may not buy a car for a while and we need to find our way around, so the fewer things we need to stock up on, the better. All bedding, shoes and clothing will go through the wash a few times and not be in new packaging.

    Anyone else live in a small town and have recommendations on what we might throw into the container? We go wheels-up in just a few weeks. Last call!
    Welcome to the new Americans! From where to where? I just attended a migrant women's meeting at the library in New Plymouth, it was nice to see a few more Americans sprinkled among them :-) We're from Santa Cruz, CA.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    32

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    Quote Originally Posted by Juniper View Post
    Welcome to the new Americans! From where to where? I just attended a migrant women's meeting at the library in New Plymouth, it was nice to see a few more Americans sprinkled among them :-) We're from Santa Cruz, CA.
    From Portland, OR, to Wanaka. I suspect you'll be seeing a few more yanks over the next couple of years, for obvious reasons. We'll try to keep our heads down and blend in quietly. Don't want to barge in and trample loudly all over such a lovely place, as some americans are wont to do. My husband is under strict orders to keep the volume down and do community service!

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