Wellington
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 5
Wellington
Right so I'm immigrating to wellington and should be over there within the next 2-3 months few questions.
1- Do I need a NZ driving license to drive, if so how much does this cost and is it similar to the UK procedure.
2- What's wellington like? what are the people like? is there plenty to do?
3- Im going to be house sharing will approx. $800NZ a week be enough to live on and save a little for traveling?
All help is GREATLY appreciated, I feel extremely unprepared!
1- Do I need a NZ driving license to drive, if so how much does this cost and is it similar to the UK procedure.
2- What's wellington like? what are the people like? is there plenty to do?
3- Im going to be house sharing will approx. $800NZ a week be enough to live on and save a little for traveling?
All help is GREATLY appreciated, I feel extremely unprepared!
#2
Re: Wellington
[QUOTE=Theman;11609194]Right so I'm immigrating to wellington and should be over there within the next 2-3 months few questions.
1-
.
You can drive on your British licence for a year. Best bet would be for you to get your NZ licence. Employers are obsessed with driving licences here in NZ even though the job has nothing to do with driving. (I think it's a sneaky background check, but that's just me.)
You can get your NZ licence in exchange for your UK licence. Just go along to the AA office in your local town in NZ. Fill in the form, pay the fee, have your photo taken and you will be given a slip of paper with your NZ licence number on it. Your NZ licence arrives in the post to your NZ address a few days later. You get your UK licence back straight away and it's still valid.
2-
Wellington as a city is good but not huge. The people are normal. Yes, there's plenty to do but, usual story, get out there and get involved.
3-
Yes, you should be able to do just that. Trying to second guess other people's expenditure is a futile exercise though.
All help is GREATLY appreciated,
!
Even people who are fully prepared, if there's even any such thing will still swallow their doubts and, 'feel the fear and do it anyway.'
1-
Do I need a NZ driving license to drive, if so how much does this cost and is it similar to the UK procedure
You can drive on your British licence for a year. Best bet would be for you to get your NZ licence. Employers are obsessed with driving licences here in NZ even though the job has nothing to do with driving. (I think it's a sneaky background check, but that's just me.)
You can get your NZ licence in exchange for your UK licence. Just go along to the AA office in your local town in NZ. Fill in the form, pay the fee, have your photo taken and you will be given a slip of paper with your NZ licence number on it. Your NZ licence arrives in the post to your NZ address a few days later. You get your UK licence back straight away and it's still valid.
2-
What's wellington like? what are the people like? is there plenty to do?
3-
Im going to be house sharing will approx. $800NZ a week be enough to live on and save a little for traveling?
All help is GREATLY appreciated,
I feel extremely unprepared
Even people who are fully prepared, if there's even any such thing will still swallow their doubts and, 'feel the fear and do it anyway.'
#4
MODERATOR
Joined: Oct 2011
Location: Wellington - I miss Castles, the NHS & English school system
Posts: 9,077
Re: Wellington
its windy
#6
Re: Wellington
Join Meetup.com - loads of groups in Wellington and a great way to meet new people of all ages and backgrounds.
#8
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2014
Location: North Canterbury
Posts: 487
Re: Wellington
It's a brilliant city
It has a city centre
It has a CBD
It has a public transport system
It can be a bit windy
It has a fabulous museum
It is a fast forward developing city with lovely areas. You've chosen a good place to go to.
It has a city centre
It has a CBD
It has a public transport system
It can be a bit windy
It has a fabulous museum
It is a fast forward developing city with lovely areas. You've chosen a good place to go to.
#10
Re: Wellington
If my husband suggested moving to Wellington on the strength of a job offer (preferably with a relocation package ?)I wouldn't have a problem with that. I could suggest we go but it's a lot of upheaval, especially if we're not intending to stay in NZ for the long term. Living there we would be going back to running to stand still. I assume I might be able to get a job in Wellington, it's known as the admin capital of NZ. We would need a bigger mortgage to buy a house there. Might as well stay in Whanganui, the scenery is nice and it's quite a compact town. It's got beaches and parks and a river and my husband walks to work. I also think that paradoxically, we would not see much of Wellington if we lived there. We're more interested in Wellington when we go for a day/overnight trip. If we lived there it would probably become, 'oh yeah, that.' It's mostly on that basis that my husband isn't interested in moving there. I get the impression that people who live in either the Hutt Valley or the Kapiti Coast don't really bother to go into Wellington town centre much. Just like when we lived in Surrey, going to London to see a show or whatever only really occurred 2 or 3 times a year, even though it only took an hour to get there.
We could have stayed renting in Whanganui and just 're-grouped' i.e. gathered our thoughts as to what to do next as that's where we arrived when we bailed out of Christchurch. We could have moved into a bigger rental than the two bed bungalow that we had shoehorned ourselves into and not purchased a house. However, after six months and several false starts all we wanted to do was settle down into a routine and get our lives back. The inertia of, 'well, we're here now' is a daily fact.
Anyway, we got out of an earthquake zone once.........what fools would we be to get into another one, i.e. Wellington ? Especially after our experience of living in Christchurch from March 2011 to June 2011.
Last edited by Snap Shot; Apr 8th 2015 at 12:11 am. Reason: Whanganui
#11
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 21
Re: Wellington
Best major city in the North Island I reckon, having lived and worked in the others over many years of living in the N.I of NZ. Something about the more cosmopolitan atmosphere of Wellington that sets it apart. Great art and culture scene. Easy commute by rail unit from up the coast and the Hutt valley, easy to get around the place. Beautiful harbour and waterfront. Windy sometimes. You get used to it.
Welcome and best wishes for a happy stay in this lovely country.
The promo below nails Wgtn pretty well I think.
Profile of Wellington - Wellington City Council
Welcome and best wishes for a happy stay in this lovely country.
The promo below nails Wgtn pretty well I think.
Profile of Wellington - Wellington City Council