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Thread: Canada to NZ 2018 - 6 Months In. What we learned.

  1. #51
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    UK->NZ
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    118

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    We moved from Vancouver to Auckland in Nov 2016 and we used Allied Pickford to ship our stuff. Full service, including packing all our stuff, custom paid piano crate, insurance, the whole container costs less than 10K and our stuff arrived a month later, before we even found our rental apartment! Allied Pickford packing on the Vancouver side was top notch, they packed my stuff like wrapping a mummy! The unpacking on the Auckland side was a bit careless, they managed to cut my sofa when cutting the plastic wrapping. On the whole, I will use Allied Pickford again. I have used them for two international moves, one from UK to Canada and one from Canada to NZ, both were done extremely smoothly, no headaches. Immigration already is a big headache so getting a reliable mover is great, especially lots of things have high sentimental values and are not replaceable ... Good luck with your moves :-D

  2. #52
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Canada
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    3

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    Thanks so much!! Appreciate your feedback, we're definitely looking forward to be in NZ and have all of this over and done with already!

  3. #53
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    USA
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    18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Juniper View Post
    We were very happy to receive our container. Minimal damage, not enough to warrant an insurance claim (we used Rainier). The replacement cost of not only our furniture and basic necessities, but also our treasured collections of books, board games, dance costumes, legos, video games - it would be astronomical here.

    You’re right, it’s very dependent on individual circumstances and how much you enjoy your stuff! It was refreshing in some ways to go two years living without any of that, we realized it’s non-essential, but on the other hand, it is SO comforting to have our house and hobbies back.
    We also used Rainier - it was $8k for us to go from Denver to Wellington. For us it was a lot less stressful than having to go out and furnish a home from scratch while at the same time trying to get used to all the other new stuff that comes with moving to a new country.

    One of the biggest unexpected extra costs for us was replacing all of the electronics. I'd bought a bunch of transformers thinking that we could save some money by keeping our 120v stuff, but we ended up replacing most of it anyway. The only thing we still use transformers for is my power tools and the waffle maker.

  4. #54
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    852

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    Quote Originally Posted by drebin8 View Post
    We also used Rainier - it was $8k for us to go from Denver to Wellington. For us it was a lot less stressful than having to go out and furnish a home from scratch while at the same time trying to get used to all the other new stuff that comes with moving to a new country.

    One of the biggest unexpected extra costs for us was replacing all of the electronics. I'd bought a bunch of transformers thinking that we could save some money by keeping our 120v stuff, but we ended up replacing most of it anyway. The only thing we still use transformers for is my power tools and the waffle maker.
    Yes, once you realize how big, noisy, and spendy transformers are, replacement often makes sense instead. We sold a bunch of appliances before moving, and it was nice to not have to clean every crevice of a vacuum or lawnmower.

  5. #55
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    15

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    Quote Originally Posted by summerpixy View Post
    Hi there, we are planning a similar move with two young kids from outside of Vancouver, and just wondered which shipping company you ended up going with?
    Appreciate the post! thanks!!
    We used: http://allcargoexpress.com/

    Would use them again but get them to arrange the back end drop. They are in Richmond

    I thought I was saving money by arriving early and arranging a local company in ChCh to receive the inbound container. In the end it costs about the same to have one company do it all (they just sub the local mover from Canada).

    Oh and...I would have sold my house and gotten my taxes sorted BEFORE I left. Or atleast better educated myself. We're in a bit of a mess because the accountant didn't file us as non-residents last year so I'm having to pick up the pieces and fix that myself. Not a huge issue but just delays knowing what we actually have in the bank by 6 months to 1 year.
    Last edited by mahollow; 29th May 2019 at 01:18 PM.

  6. #56
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    15

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    Quote Originally Posted by dragstrut View Post
    I gave away everything I owned before coming, and arrived with a couple carry on bags and the airlines maximum 23kg per passenger allowance.

    I know a few people who shipped a container here, they mentioned that after all expenses, damage to your things etc, they wouldn't do it again. total cost was around 15-18 thousand NZD from western north america
    I'd offer a different opinion. Our move (including the back end) was ~$7k CAD (~$8k NZD). That includes us packing and dropping in Vancouver. Freight company packs and ships container. Local company clears container, delivers in place to your home. We've found mattresses, couches, chairs and most non-wood items just too expensive here to buy. We're glad we brought what we did (And we did downsize by ~50%). You can get some good wood furniture here for a banger price. We picked up solid wood 2 door tv stand from Habitat for ~$150. Nice unit.

    In the end it's just really nice to have familiar stuff around once the newness factor wears off.

  7. #57
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    852

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    Quote Originally Posted by mahollow View Post
    I'd offer a different opinion. Our move (including the back end) was ~$7k CAD (~$8k NZD). That includes us packing and dropping in Vancouver. Freight company packs and ships container. Local company clears container, delivers in place to your home. We've found mattresses, couches, chairs and most non-wood items just too expensive here to buy. We're glad we brought what we did (And we did downsize by ~50%). You can get some good wood furniture here for a banger price. We picked up solid wood 2 door tv stand from Habitat for ~$150. Nice unit.

    In the end it's just really nice to have familiar stuff around once the newness factor wears off.
    I'm with you. It's really an individual thing I suppose, some like the fresh slate, but I'm a homebody and loved having the comfort of getting my things back! It takes so much energy to put myself out there in a new community and culture, I love being able to recharge in an environment that's mostly familiar.

  8. #58
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    New Zealand
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    156

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    What are the main reasons people are moving in from countries such as USA and CA to NZ? Just curious.

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    NZ
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    852

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    Quote Originally Posted by Famed View Post
    What are the main reasons people are moving in from countries such as USA and CA to NZ? Just curious.
    A mixture of political and lifestyle reasons. We love California, but it’s horribly expensive even on an executive salary. We couldn’t buy a house. And it’s lack of water/firestorms are becoming the norm. NZ feels a lot like California 30 years ago, in several ways. And we didn’t want our kids to finish growing up in the Trump climate (which won’t magically go away even if he loses in 2020). So some “pull” reasons and some “push.” It just seems smarter for the next generations. The environment and low population combined with a government that mostly takes care of people - that’s all a big deal. Even the isolation is looking like an overall benefit.

  10. #60
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    51

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    from Canada, its all about the lifestyle and the weather. These are inter-related. In Canada there is a very small window of time each year to actually be physically comfortable outdoors. Bad outdoor weather has an effect on your mood. Canadians spend the vast majority of their lives indoors. There is a lot of weather related depression in canada, diagnosed, undiagnosed, and unrealized.

    NZ is much more laid back work wise as well. far less of a rat race in NZ.

    Also, depending on your industry, you may or may not have much better work opportunities in NZ (applies to me in a big way, for this moment in time anyway)

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