clothes & stuff!
 

newie here!

we are a family of brits currently living in germany, desperate to get to nz

hubbie coming out to nz in a couple of weeks for 3 job interviews, application in process, we bring with us two teenagers!!! I am concerned with all what i have read regarding food & accomodation to be so expensive. How about clothing items, particularly jeans, trainers and that sort of stuff!! what are the clothes stores like are they up to date on trends or will it be like going back to the 80's??? hope not...

Any feedback gratefully received...

Re: clothes & stuff!
 

Dont need to take any shoes / trainers....they dont wear em.

Most of the teenagers that i know in NZ wear "Narly Surf wear"...and yes Clothers are expensive , footwear expensive.

If you look through the thread (negative concepts thread especially) a lot of people have put price comparisons on!

Welcome to the Forum :)

Re: clothes & stuff!
 

is there anything reasonably priced in NZ? i felt great about emigrating until I joined the website this week, i now feel thoroughly depressed, especially as Ed's job interviews are all in the Auckland area!!

My kids willl think me mad if i tell them not to take jeans & trainers!!

Re: clothes & stuff!
 

Well..... I won't ever make a kiwi as I cant even walk across our local beach barefoot without whincing!! :D My toddler is starting to go more barefoot here though.... he loves it.

Yes petrol is still reasonably priced. Fresh meat here is great and reasonably priced too.... so are fresh cakes, pies, sandwiches etc from the local bakery. Fish and chips from the local chippy is good and cheap....and very tasty. If you are prepared to shop around and get different things from different shops (like fruit) then you will find it good value.... and the fruit and veggies are huge.... made my dad laugh the other day when he rang and I told him I had to cut the leeks in half so that they'd fit into the fridge.

Horses are reasonably priced here too .... don't suppose many of you want to buy them though. :)

Re: clothes & stuff!
 

A few people have said this lately so now I have to ask 'why'? Your positive reasons are still valid, or did you make the decision to emigrate before you were aware of the somewhat critical costs of living?

Plenty people succeed there, just like with everywhere. Welcome to the forum. There is a wealth of information on here and lots of very helpful people. :)

Re: clothes & stuff!
 

Thats great thanks (fish and chips yipee) very hard to get take away in germany....Just had a bad week here and finding so much negativity on site worried me, however we have done Germany, I am sure NZ will be easy in comparison, no language problems.
Tell me Sarah, we are looking at Beachlands as an area to move into, do you know how the schooling is in the area, and housing costs being in East Auckland?? much appreciated.

Re: clothes & stuff!
 

Totally agree, and after being out of uk for 18months, I do not miss it at all and we are all totally up for the challenge of our new life in NZ with our kids, just alot to take in as some people are VERY negative.
Us moving to NZ is a life move, not for an easy life, and we just want a better future for us and the kids and I think NZ can offer that...

Also nowhere is perfect to live!! we have expectations of what we want but not unrealistic views, can wait to come!!

Re: clothes & stuff!
 

...and I dont even like fish!! Thats how good it is. Beachlands and Maraetai are lovely. My boy isnt at school age yet but I have only heard positive things about the schools here.... sorry I cant be more helpful on this. We rent at the moment until we decide to sell UK properties but we do look at the prices here.... they are pretty expensive...this area is popular and expanding very rapidly. No two houses here are the same so prices vary a lot... from a 1 or 2 bedroom bach to 6 bedroom houses.... theres a vast range of houses here and plenty for sale.... and there are still some bargains to be had but they get snapped up pretty quick.

Re: clothes & stuff!
 

Kids do wear trainers, may be worth stocking up on a few extra pairs as good quality ones are quite expensive here. They also go barefoot quite a lot and wear jandals (flip flops) when the fancy takes them. Some schools also require "proper" footwear eg, black lace ups, as part of the winter school uniform, and you might need trainers for sports activities anyway.

Clothes can be of variable quality and my kids and their friends still like to wear "cool" clothes. During the summer it's mostly board shorts and T shirts, baseballs caps etc. and a hoodie when it's cooler. Popular makes are Billabong, Dirty Dog, Rip Curl, Quiksilver, Von Dutch - all the usual stuff plus anything they can pick up from the Warehouse :D .

Kids here can be every bit as materialistic as their counterparts on the other side of the globe: X Box, Nintendo DS, PSPs, iPods, Bratz etc. are all prized.

We live on the North Shore though and it may be different in less affluent areas of the country.