KayC

Hi,

I will be travelling to Auckland via Melbourne mid February. I don't know whether to ship the childrens car seats with the rest of our stuff or take them on the plane to OZ then on to NZ - bearing in mind I am travelling alone with the children. I will be in Melbourne for a couple of weeks, so will need car seats - I have found a website where I can hire some - do you think it would be easier to do this??

Don't know if any of you have done some thing similar? - How did it work out??

Thanks

Sherlock Holmes

Are you coming from the UK on this trip? If so, your car seats wont be legal in Australia, so hiring them might be best. I don't know about NZ but you'd better check legality of UK car seats in NZ as well.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

A.

KayC

Hi Alistair - Yes we are coming from the UK - Thank you for that as far as I know the seats are ok in NZ - I have looked it up and it all seems ok - unless anyone else knows different?

Hiring in OZ it will be then

ExKiwilass

How did you look it up? Just curious about that because when we took the wee one back we were told we had to use NZ approved seats, not the canadian ones (even though the Canadian one was superior imo).

KayC

Hi Kiwilass,

I got it on here: http://www.childrestraints.co.nz/law.php#nz who did you speak with about them not being legal? Maybe I should look a bit more and find out for sure before I take them.
Thanks

JohnThePom

I don't want to encourage lawlessness or dangerous practices, but if anyone in NZ stops your car and checks it and then charges you with having a non-approved seat then I will be gobsmacked.

It's a kiwi thing.

KayC

Thanks whingingpom - I've also looked on kiwi websites and they sell the same seats that I have!!

LukeandJo

We are flying with Air NZ in April. Having spoken to them the car seat and pushchair are shipped for free, thus not part of your overall weight allowance.

dave77

Hi,

Not sure if this helps, but we didn't want the hassle of carrying car seats, plus luggage plus 3 kids onto the planes and around the airports. The hire car company who we used actually lent us 3 seats for free. We then bought new kids seats here and I will use my old UK ones (if they are good to use here) as a set for a second car once they arrive on the container!

Good luck with whatever you decide, there is just so much to think of, but it all does come together in the end

KayC

Thanks for that - are you taking your car seat out there? Did you speak to anyone about it? Or just what you have looked up yourself?

Where are you heading in April?

KayC

Thanks for that dave - The one's I have are being sold on NZ websites so I think that they are ok but will have to do some more research.

My head is spinning right now with everything going on and I feel like its all not going right - I do hope everything just falls into place

Si19761

You can hire seats from Plunket in NZ, a lot of parents do this rather than buy them, they are fully tested before being put back into use. If you google plunket in the city/town you are planning to live you can get contact details, for arrival if you have a hire car you can get them from the companies just be very clear that you want proper seats and not a polystyrene job that a firm tried to give me this year...

simonsi

Any seat compliant and marked to European Standard ECE 44 is acceptable according to the NZTA site.

Complete guff to suggest only NZ approved seats are acceptable as NZ approved includes E-marked seats....

NZTA Child Restraints page

KayC

Thank you

KayC

Thank you Simonsi!!! Thats great to hear! I think I will send them on in the container and hire some while we are in oz hopefully they will arrive in NZ by the time I get there with the children - if not I'll hire some there also