Newbie from UK [Archive] - Kiwi Biker forums

moggy

24th February 2005, 21:00

Waylander

24th February 2005, 21:04

Imagrant from the states here, as far as best parts of the country for riding have to say the whole country. Just has great roads, none of them too straight but not over curvy though there are plenty or roads with lots of curves if you like that. As for rental I'm not sure where they are but I know there are some around.

Welcome to the site by the way, have a banana:wari:

dangerous

24th February 2005, 21:15

yeah welcome to KB, roads dont come much better than the ones here on a fine day... look up a ride report or two.
As far as hireing a bike goes in Chch you can get the latest VFR800 or a BMW of some kind, there is more likely more of a choice up north.

jrandom

24th February 2005, 21:19

Hi there, I am a female owner of a sv650sk3.

A fine choice of chickwheels, there :)

Welcome to the forum.

Fordy

24th February 2005, 21:22

Hi moggy and welcome to the site.

I've had my invitation to apply for residence and doing the medicals, checks etc now to apply by April to hopefully arrive in September. I'm no expert, but if my experience can help I'll try just ask :)

There seem to be quite a few hire places come up on a google, but I'll let the natives name their favourites :spudwave:

moggy

24th February 2005, 22:32

Thanks guys
and my husband also has a SV650SK3 and we have a very ratty rat trike as well.

moggy

24th February 2005, 22:34

Fordy
how long does the process take from sending off your first bit of official paper. We are hoping to be over by next UK spring, was wondering when to start the process

Fordy

24th February 2005, 23:15

Me and family are applying via the skilled migrant route. Submitted an Expression of Interest online via http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/ with enough points over their threshold. It took a month to complete and about two months for NZIS to respond with an invitation to apply for residence. That was on 29 Jan, then comes the form gathering stuff; getting qualifications assessed formally, medicals, police checks etc. You rely on other people to get back to you, but on the timescales they state we aim to get the Application for Residence in by the end of March (so another two months). We've read that once the application proper is in they are really quick to process it, and should get the go ahead within another month.

So, six months minimum (but if you go work to residence you can go anytime) but to allow for selling house and packing etc we've allowed 9 months.

Useful info here:
http://www.movetonz.org/forum/ or http://www.emigratenz.org/migrantstories.html and another one opening in March http://www.move2nz.com/ and almost any NZ website you could want http://www2.piperpat.co.nz/nz/index.html

Good luck! Have you a destination in mind? I found the Rough Guide to NZ a good book for info on different areas.

moggy

24th February 2005, 23:53

Thanks loads for all that info, I'll check it all out, so I guess starting the process off shortly would not be a bad idea. I've just asked a removals company to give an idea of rough costs of moving belongings, waiting for them to get back to me.
We are thinking of the south Island, perhaps Christchurch area. Would like a climate that is warmer that the UK, but not as subtropical as the north Island. Would hope to get work fairly easily near a large place. I ordered the rough guide a couple of days ago from Amazon. Fortunately I have a very good friend who is from New Zealand and we invited him round a week ago to pump him for information.
I don't understand what you mean by "go work to residence" can you explain

thanks

moggy

25th February 2005, 00:11

OK, just found what that means on the first link you posted

Fordy

25th February 2005, 01:57

Ahh, the lure of Chch calls another one :niceone:

We fancy there for similar reasons, but not expecting the weather to be that much better. The gateway to the Great Outdoors, big enough for business opportunities and city amenities but not too big like Auckland IMHO. It can't hurt to start the paperwork now. IIRC once you get residence you have up to 6 months to send them (more) money and then up to another 12 months to arrive.

The EOI, medicals, qualification assessment, application etc all cost not only time to organise but also a lot of money. I'd recommend researching it now so you can plan and budget for all the steps, we had medicals on Monday and it cost over £500 for 4 and they change the number of tests soon so that will be even more :doctor: Just the paperwork will be about £2k (NZ$5k) :angry2:

moggy

25th February 2005, 03:25

we had medicals on Monday and it cost over £500 for 4 and they change the number of tests soon so that will be even more :doctor: Just the paperwork will be about £2k (NZ$5k) :angry2:

EEK! :eek: I knew there would be some costs involved but 2K for paperwork!! seems an awful lot. Fortunately we will be going in a good finacial situation as we recently got married, sold two houses with lots of equity in them and hopefull the one we bought will have appreciated slightly when it comes to selling it. The difference in property prices is one big attraction, that and a lot less people there as well.

Fordy

25th February 2005, 04:03

The difference in property prices is one big attraction, that and a lot less people there as well.

:yeah: lesser quantity, greater quality :grouphug:

...
..
.

:innocent:

dangerous

25th February 2005, 05:08

I've just asked a removals company to give an idea of rough costs of moving belongings
Send BiffBaff a p/m and ask him, they just move over a few months ago.

Ahh, the lure of Chch calls another one :niceone:

We fancy there for similar reasons, but not expecting the weather to be that much better.
Most North Iser's tell me the weather is beter down here but in winter colder... still better tho

crashe

25th February 2005, 06:23

Kia ora and welcome to the world of the KBers.

When you do imigrate to NZ, will you be bringing both bikes and the trike with you?

Hiring bikes... ummm there are a couple of places in Auckland that do that, but I am sorry I dont recall their names or what it would even cost to hire them. Others on here will be able to help you out.

PS:Meon3 has a trike that she rides everywhere.
:banana: :wari: :spudwave:

Sniper

25th February 2005, 06:26

Greetings and Salutations fellow Biker. We wish you all the best and safe riding in the New Zealand land called Aotearoa.

Sorry, thats my other personality. Have fun, good luck with the emmigration process

Sniper

Blackbird

25th February 2005, 06:31

Send an email or PM to K100 on the Members List (his name is Matt). He's from Northants and I've been giving him a helping hand with various bits and pieces, including junk mail from NZ, haha, so that he can check out prices and other stuff about NZ. He may be happy to pass them on. Matt has just accepted a job offer and he should be of great help too, having just been through the process

Good luck.

Geoff

Riff Raff

25th February 2005, 07:07

Welcome to KB :wavey: and good choice of bike!!!

Good luck with the immigration process. I was an immigration consultant a few years ago now, so I'm a bit out of date on all the procedures now, but if you need any help just yell.

Joni

25th February 2005, 07:18

Hi...
Welcome to KB!

Quite a few immigrants on KB, Im busy finishing off my own right now. Like Riff Raff said, if you need help, pop me a pm, I am doing mine through the London branch (logistically: still dont know why I made that decision). So just yell.

:spudwave:

Ninja51

25th February 2005, 07:21

Hi Moggy...

Welcome to KB from yet another pom...(but not of the whinging kind I hasten to add!) If you are successful in your planned emigration, you wont regret it one bit. New Zealand is fabulous, as are its locals. It's far more relaxed here, and the folks are really friendly as is evident on this site! Dont believe all you hear... a lot of visiting poms say "its lovely...just turn your watch back twenty years!" Not true in my opinion.
Lynda (my Kiwi partner) and I moved here in January 2004 from Northamptonshire. I have to admit to by-passing the points system as we were in a "de-facto" relationship. But I still had to do all the paperwork, have all the tests and checks etc. We started applying in June 2003 having attended NZ Expo at Earls Court and asking lots of questions to the likes of the NZIS and international removals companies. My residents visa was stamped about a week before I boarded the plane in January! I asked my case officer how long it really takes to process an application and he said that if all the paperwork was in place and you meet all the requirements... about two and a half hours!! Trouble is they get close to 50,000 applications a year. Lynda set about finding work here (as a special needs resource teacher) and was successfully interviewed over the phone from England. Me? I was freelancing as a graphic designer in the UK and I have continued to do that here.
Send me a PM and we too will gladly advise or help where we can. I shipped my car and bike over in separate consignments so if youd like an idea of costs or recommendations for shipping companies (including ones to avoid!) just give us the nod. And when you come over for that holiday/recce we will be happy to show you round Wellington.

wari

25th February 2005, 08:49

moko all-ways re-commends these fellas ...

Te WAipounamu motercyle hirre .. (http://www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz/aboutus.html)

GOod to have ya on-bord ... evryone gitts one a these ... ==> :moon: ... butt only one of course .. :shake:

:spudwave:

chris

25th February 2005, 16:16

moggy

25th February 2005, 21:21

Yes I was thinking of doing that, both bikes are standard apart from mine having a givi luggage set on, so could easily sell and replace over there. I doubt that we would bring the trike as it needs too much work doing to it anyway - new engine for one.
I was thinking about trying to sell most of my stuff on ebay. I was looking at what stuff I had brought with me the last time we moved that I couldn't bare to part with at the time, now I am thinking do I really need a 4 volume polish/english dictionary? All my favourite books, when was the last time I read them? am I ever going to read them again? All that crap in the shed can go and there is not much point lugging some cheap IKEA furniture half way round the world.
Quite looking forward to leaving all the crap behind actually

Redstar

25th February 2005, 21:35

Hi there, I am a female owner of a sv650sk3.
I've joined this forum as I have just started the process of emmigrating to New Zealand. I say just started as I am only looking at requirements of getting in etc, got all the hard work of actually moving there to come.
Also planning on coming over for a touring holiday very soon, so was wondering what places did bike hire and also what areas are particularly good for biking
I did the same in 1983 and theres plenty of room for you and your bike I remember the process chest xray and shitting in clingfilm yuk.
but you will never find roads like NZ this is a bikers dream! hope you do it and yes you can hire bikes not a problem. Just do it you will never look back!

sels1

25th February 2005, 22:01

Welcome aboard the site Moggy.
There is a few bike hire places, mainly in Auckland and Christchurch - they have good websites (google search) as they mostly deal with tourists (which is why us locals cant recall their names - never use them!)

moggy

25th February 2005, 23:48

For a 40 foot container from UK to NZ with somebody like Pickfords will cost in the region of 4500 pounds plus depending on how much insurance you take out. That will include wrapping and packing ALL your stuff. Unless you really really need your household furniture and bikes it may be better to sell them in the UK and just ship your personal effects over.
I've just had a quote from PPS which seems quite reasonable.
Total not exceeding 500 cubic feet Door to
Door.................................... GBP£2055.00
Any additional volume chargeable pro rata.

IF YOU HAVE THE SOLE USE OF A 20 GENERAL COANTAINER (STC 1050 CUBIC FEET ) DOOR TO DOOR £3273.00

Bob

26th February 2005, 01:44

Hi there, I am a female owner of a sv650sk3.
I've joined this forum as I have just started the process of emmigrating to New Zealand. I say just started as I am only looking at requirements of getting in etc, got all the hard work of actually moving there to come.
Also planning on coming over for a touring holiday very soon, so was wondering what places did bike hire and also what areas are particularly good for biking

Moggy,

Odd that a pom still in the UK (nice bike, btw...) should be able to answer this... but if you take a look at the article contained within this link (http://www.bobpickett.co.uk/bkit/bmwr1100gs.htm),there is a link to a company in NZ that hires out bikes. According to the author, they are an excellent outfit.

Hope this helps,

Bob

moko

26th February 2005, 03:35

As Bob and Wari have said in their posts I`d recommend Te Waipounamu for bike hire,they`re in Christchurch and Auckland and you can hire from one and drop off at the other.Good guys that I know from experience will "go the extra mile" to keep the customer happy and be happy to do so.If you want to pm me I`ll give you the bosses name and e-mail and you`ll have someone to deal with on a more personal level.nothing in this for me by the way,just a satisfied customer.
You`ll love N.Z.,all that "turn back the clock" stuff is crap,it`s not "Britain in the 60`s",or any other era, it`s New Zealand.You`ll feel a lot safer walking the streets,it`s clean(remember that?)and if someone speaks to you they`re being friendly and not about to mug you.Generally it`s just a much more pleasant place to live,if you`re a biker you`ll be in heaven,if the scenery dosnt blow you away then you`d better check your pulse.
I cant think of any negatives but it depends on what kind of person you are I suppose.
I dont own a lot but even if I did I`d go the route of selling everything before going and just jumping on the plane with a suitcase full of clothes.
I found the flight a real ordeal(and the return flight nearly killed me)so if you`ve got the time I`d definately recommend stopping off somewhere along the way for a day,Singapore Airlines will give you a free tour if you stop-over.
It`s all the little things you`ll maybe not even notice until you get home that`ll show you what a good move you`re making,I had 3 weeks without the persistant cough I`ve had for years,yep,clean air is vastly under-rated,and you`ll get off the plane wondering why everything seems so gloomy and dirty.

moggy

26th February 2005, 04:11

moko

27th February 2005, 04:58

I'm not too worried about the long flight as I have travelled back and forth to poland by bus and train several time, the longest journey from door to door took 56 hours! The secret is just to sleep - alcohol induced is always good lol :2thumbsup

When I said "nearly killed me" I meant literally.Got DVT in my leg and all but keeled over at Heathrow,being bright I picked up my rucksack and carried on heading for the coach stop despite breathing problems and palpitations.Eventually went to the Doc 2 weeks later because I could hardly walk,got a right arseing from all the medics I saw.Anyway point is if you drink loads of alcohol on the plane it`ll help dehydrate you,which can cause the same problem I had.Thing to do is get yourself a litre bottle of water and keep drinking,when it`s empty the stewardesses will re-fill it for you.I was very lucky.The cure involves injections in your stomach for 10 days,ongoing blood-tests and warfarin,which is very nasty stuff and they`ll tell you not to ride your bike while you take it(usually 6 months)because of the risk of excessive/internal bleeding if you fall off.Not trying to scare you but I thought "it always happens to other people" and I was wrong.Coughing up blood and having a leg the size of an elephant`s is no fun so please do all you can to keep yourself safe.

moggy

27th February 2005, 06:51

hmm I had no idea that DVT was helped by dehydration. Thanks for that info.

El Dopa

27th February 2005, 09:18

Unless you really really need your household furniture and bikes it may be better to sell them in the UK and just ship your personal effects over.

My advice would be not to sell all your stuff. Not unless you're super-financially organised and can put aside a pot of dosh that you'll exclusively use to buy up what you need once you're here.

We sold everything but a bare minimum before we came out here, and 2 1/2 years later we're still missing quite a few bits of furniture and stuff, just because there never seems to be the ready cash to buy them. For example, my stereo speakers just seemed a bit big to ship, so I sold them. I still haven't bought a replacement pair.

You'll never get back anything like as much as you paid for stuff either, so my advice would be to ship everything (with a few exceptions). A container seems to be the way to go.

chris

28th February 2005, 08:31

I've just had a quote from PPS which seems quite reasonable.
Total not exceeding 500 cubic feet Door to
Door.................................... GBP£2055.00
Any additional volume chargeable pro rata.

IF YOU HAVE THE SOLE USE OF A 20 GENERAL COANTAINER (STC 1050 CUBIC FEET ) DOOR TO DOOR £3273.00

Personally, I reckon that there is no chance whatsoever of all your stuff going in 500 cubic feet, especially with the possibility of 2 or 3 bikes! Shared containers are OK if you are not bringing much stuff, but what happens when it has to be split between 2 containers for example? My advice is to get your own container. 500 cubic feet is less than half the capacity of a 20' container!

Biff

28th February 2005, 09:32

Send BiffBaff a p/m and ask him, they just move over a few months ago.

That's me. Hellooooo :spudwave:

Yeah send me a PM and I'll tell you all I know. Who to bribe, how many camels it'll cost you etc etc.

Medicals - about 55 pounds each (note - no pound sign on my keyboard!). But I guess this depends on local market forces.

Visa applications:
Me - Work to residence (although I passed on points, this way was easier)
Ms Biff - Work visa
Master Biff - Study Visa
Ickle Miss Biff - Visitors Visa

Total cost, approx 700 pounds (who said 2k pounds!!!!!!?? Shit, they saw you coming!!). But things change all the time, so keep a constant eye on the immigration web site.

About 3 days to complete the necessary paper work etc.
From start to finish our application took less than 2 months from submission of our application forms.
Approx 2k pounds to ship a 20 foot container out here.

All our visas are valid for 30 months at which stage we should achieve residency as my job qualifies my family and I to residence under the skills shortage category. Wombat Hurlers are in short supply here, especially ones of my calibre.

moggy

28th February 2005, 10:14

bkr

28th February 2005, 18:37

Grumpy

28th February 2005, 20:38

Hi Moggy, I am also a new member (today) and ride an 03 sv650s which I've had for four months and love it.
For rentals see Coromandel Adventures www.coromoto.co.nz I hear they hire SV's. Also see motorbiketours.co.nz - I think they are Christchurch based??
All the best with your residency app so you can come and enjoy riding here!

Hey there Moggy. Welcome aboard.

I was going to recommend these guys as well. They are a little out of the way to get there. You can find them on the East coast, just out of Whitianga...shit, hope I spelt that correctly, but are nice folk. Some friends and myself used them for a trip to the coromandel coast a while ago. All gravel roads so our road bikes were a little unsuitable. They were excellent to deal with.

All the best for the shift.

Biff

1st March 2005, 07:59

2K?? what company did you use, that is a lot better than I have found so far
I was thinking about going straight for residency as I should have more than enough points, that might be why I am being quoted as taking longer and maybe why it costs more, though ther person who told me that also took children so that might have bumped it up.

We used Crown, but we received a similar price from Allied Pickfords. I guess it depends on where you are in the UK and the travelling distance from the point of collection to Portsmouth. Well, that;s where our container boarded its first ship.

There's a points calulator on the immigration website. If what I hear is true, it's been a very long time since it's been as easy for a Brit to get into NZ, particularly using the points system. There's also a clear pricing schedule on the web site.

Waylander

1st March 2005, 15:49

We used Crown.

:angry2: :angry2: :brick: :brick: :angry2: :angry2: :brick: :brick:

Biff

1st March 2005, 15:58

:angry2: :angry2: :brick: :brick: :angry2: :angry2: :brick: :brick:

I know, I know. Sorry for mentioning their name,and yes they forked us around too. Nowhere near the crap that you experienced though.

Sorry - here, have some valium.

Blackbird

1st March 2005, 16:50

If you do get up to the Coromandel Peninsula to see those bike hire people, send me a PM about your travel arrangements. We have a beach house about 30 minutes' ride from there and would be very happy to extend some hospitality. :2thumbsup From tomorrow for 2 weeks, we have a member of the UK Honda Blackbird website staying up there on his honeymoon!

Geoff

moggy

1st March 2005, 20:59

thanks for the offer I appreciate it, though it is mainly the south Island that we are going to explore, though I would love to see Rotarua so, there may be a couple of days on the North Island.

At the moment erm, dare I say it we are now considering hiring a camper van as we want to see all the rural bits and don't want to be tied down to a schedule of booked hotels.

Waylander

1st March 2005, 21:01

Be warned now, Rotorua smells a bit odd for a while till you get used to it.
Lots of fun though.:2thumbsup

moggy

2nd March 2005, 03:34

Be warned now, Rotorua smells a bit odd for a while till you get used to it.
Lots of fun though.:2thumbsup
lemme guess sulphur? Should be fine, lived in Bedford for a few years with the gloreous odour of sulphur in the air from the brickworks

Fordy

2nd March 2005, 06:09

lemme guess sulphur? Should be fine, lived in Bedford for a few years with the gloreous odour of sulphur in the air from the brickworks

Just down the road, I'm in Milton Keynes. Small world, innit.

Blackbird

2nd March 2005, 06:36

I lived in Northamptonshire, Dad lived in Potton near Sandy.

Moggy - if you're going to Rotorua to see geothermal activity, then skip Rotorua itself. The best geothermal spots are on the Rotorua -Taupo highway about half an hour south of Rotorua - here's one: http://www.geyserland.co.nz/ However, there is a good carving institute and some Maori cultural shows at the Rotorua geothermal site in town.

El Dopa

2nd March 2005, 19:40

At the moment erm, dare I say it we are now considering hiring a camper van as we want to see all the rural bits and don't want to be tied down to a schedule of booked hotels.

You probably wouldn't be tied down, as you're coming off season. You only really need to book stuff in advance around Christmas. Otherwise getting yourselves a bit organised and booking stuff a day or two in advance is generally good enough. A camper van is only going to be useful if you want to park up for the night somewhere remote.

We did the camper van thing last year, and with hindsight we should have done it in hotels and a car.

My folks are over here at the moment, doing the south island. They're in a car and booking hotels as they go. It seems to be working out OK for them.