Chrisbower

Hi there, i was meant to be going out with my family as we have full residence but with the way the house is going, it doesnt look like it will sell for a long time and i would like to go to NZ very soon.

It may sound a bit mad but i will basically have around £4000 pounds to start me off which is about £10800 nzd. Im looking at going over there in a month or two and staying in some hostels in and around auckland for a few months to meet new people and just do something different with my life before settling down and looking for a job in computers which is what i do here.

what will i need? Im obviosuly going to set up a bank account, book my flight, get a laptop and book some accomodation for a few weeks for when i arrive. But then hoping to meet some people and travel around with whoever i make friends with.

I know there will be hundreds more doing the same as me which makes me think "why cant i do it?"

owen

Good on yer mate, sense of adventure. OK, book the flight and buy the laptop. Get yourself into a backpackers in auckland cbd and start socialising with people who are checking the city out for a week. Do the touristy thing and then get cracking with the job. Get on to trademe or similar and search the flatmates sections, flatting with similar people here is popular. As you settle down hopefully making friends through your flatmates, the pay checks start arriving and you are on your way. Enjoy

cappuccino

Don't limit yourself to Auckland! There are jobs and a fantastic lifestyle down here in Wellington.

Good luck.

Yotty

There's not much south of the Bombay Hills mind ..

kiwinow

I think you should be fine if you watch those dollars until you get a job. I left NZ to go "home" to UK at 17 with a few hundred dollars (but I came back). Remember there's no unemployment benefit you can claim, so have an escape plan if your money is running out and you need to get home. You seem sensible about living in backpackers etc until you get on your feet, but remember they will hold mostly tourists. You probably need a job before you start to feel a part of NZ. On the other hand if you're with tourists you might do more touristy stuff and see things differently. Auckland and Welly have the best job prospects, although there may be a humdred people applying for the same jobs. There's always a lot going on and there are great beaches out west in Auckland, but rent prices are dearer and public transport is rubbish at the moment. Wellington has more buzz IMHO and lots to do, but it's very windy and colder than Auckland. $10,000 is more than most people your age will have in the bank in NZ, so you should be fine.

newkiwi

try to set up a bank account before you leave, most of the main banks allow you to do it from the uk. try asb, westpac, anz or national bank. all pretty easy.
that way you transfer funds to nz before you arrive, and all you do when you arrive is pop into the branch, show ur ID and get your atm cards etc all good to go.

buy a pay as you go phone as soon as you can, that way you have a nz contact number from day 1

your in a good position with PR, make sure to put that on the top of your cv when applying for jobs etc.

look on trademe.co.nz under flatmates wanted, that prob the best value for accommodation, and give you the chance to meet ppl as well