UK biker (stormerUK)

[iceclimber]

Hi all,
Wife and I been looking at NZ for a few years now.....getting a bit full in UK!.....been over in November for a good look around and....well, no need to say more you folks know. The present world financial situation means we won't be selling up until things brighten up a bit but hopefully over there for next World Rugby Cup (be able to support a winning team for a change!). Like the feel and look of Rotorua area but will depend where wife can find a job (Microbioligist). We are both heavily involved with the Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists as Observers with our local group www.cwam.org.uk and I am wondering if there is a comparable set up in NZ? I ride a Blackbird and she rides a Vtec and I am starting to wonder about the prose and cons of shipping them or buying fresh in NZ. Will be reading a lot about your biking NZ on the forums and hopefully soon will not be on the wrong side of the planet.

Hi there, I just thought i'd add my 2 penny worth ...........

I moved over here in May 2008 and was in a dilema as to whether to bring my prestine low mileage bmw1220st over, as was shipping my own 20ft container so could easily have done so for extra 600 or so. BUT in the end decided against it, as .......1.) I didn't want to wait 2 or 3 months for it to get to NZ & have to buy something until it came. ........... 2.) I was not sure what type of bike I would need in NZ. I thought I might want something that would do gravel also ......... 3.) I was pissed off at the idea of having to get conformity certificates and inspection etc.... which would add another 2 or 300 quid. I initially felt gutted.

However, now I am glad I didn't, as I now have a bmw1200gs which has been great BUT I am about to sell it and downsize to a bmw600gs THEN i'm gonna get a 2nd bike, possibly and old Suzy GT550 or 380 just for fun, and then I may get a 3rd bike, an off-road trial bike for the forest tracks..... ONE BIKE AIN'T ENOUGH IN NZ !

OK, the bikes here are more expensive - but it's just one of the many financial 'hits' you have to take in moving here ........

all the best
Steve

[Molly]

Shipped two bikes from the UK as it worked out cheaper than selling them there and buying again here. Second hand bikes in NZ (and some new) are more expensive than the same bike in the UK. There's not a lot in it (maybe 20% saving after shipping / insurance costs) so perhaps it's not worth the hassle.

Good luck with the move. Take the rough with the smooth and see it as an adventure.

[stormerUK]

Thanks Steve....I think that by the time this depression starts to lift and the nz authorities re open their allocation numbers my Blackbird will be getting a bit long in the tooth. I, like you, have also been thinking about gravel roads and my smaller bike a Yamaha TDM may be a better proposition in nz, that is sell up and restart when over there. The wife rides a VFR VTec.....dont know about her views yet.
Dylan.

[stormerUK]

Thanks Molly...def made up my mind now.
Dylan

[Otis243]

Hi Dylan

I moved here from Kent nearly three years ago, and to my wife's disgust, sold all of our furniture and filled the container with the contents of my garage ! LOL. This included 4 bikes.

They did not have to be on a seperate consignment, but they did have to be clean so I had them steam cleaned before loading.

Assuming the rules are still the same, to be exempt from GST on import you must have owned the bike for at least a year before it's departure from the UK AND you have to give an undertaking not to sell the bike within two years of it's import into New Zealand.
I had to visit NZ Customs who wanted to see proof of ownership and proof of purchase (or a NZ valuation) of all the bikes. I then had to sign guarantees that if I sold any of those that were exempt from GST on import within the next 24 months I would pay GST on their import, although I think this would have been reducing, pro-rata, each month of the 24.

If I were in your shoes, I'd look at trademe.co.nz and motorcycletrader.co.nz to get and idea of prices then do the sums. Obviously if there is spare room in your container the actual shipping costs would be minimal.
The other thing to consider if you plan on buying here is availability...
You should also find info on importing vehicles and many other things at ltsa.govt.nz

If you decide to bring 1 or 2 bikes with you, and want to change first, make sure you do it more than 12 months before you leave or the cost will go up by 12.5%

Andy

[stormerUK]

Thanks Andy......experience of a move and bikes is very welcome and much appreciated. I think as advised I will have to look more closely at the sums.
How are you enjoying nz? Miss anything about UK?

[Winston001]

I know quite a number of Brits who have emigrated to NZ in the last 6 years. Generally they tend to be get-up-and-go people who are just the type we want. Can-do attitude.

They certainly notice the wages are lower but the open space and quality of life more than compensates. Going back to the UK for a visit usually confirms the decision to stay in NZ. Indeed, I'm seeing parents, brothers and sisters etc following the move of a family member to NZ.

[Redmoggy]

Hi Storm. I got here in November and my bike is currently waiting to clear MAF tomorrow. As far as MAF go they seem more concerned about some second hand bike parts i tucked away in a box but still want to inspect the bike as a seperate consignment. As far as customs go im getting conflicting information. According to the woman on the desk at customs,cause im here as a visitor while my residency is approved i am required to pay GST on everything im bringing in. A receipt from a private person/sale is apparantly not good enough proof of the price paid (should be a company receipt). I've had to provide bank details corresponding to the time i took ownership according to the V5. However the shipping agent is convinced i can pay a bond covering the GST that is refundable when my residency is approved. I should have spent much more time looking into all this and not taken the shipping companys word for it.
Still no regrets about leaving the UK.

Rod

[Molly]

Been out here just over four years now. I teach and my wife's a nurse. After three years we wondered if the adventure was over so went back to the UK for nine months. However, it only took two to realise we were better off in NZ.

You can't weigh-up the tangibles against the intangibles. You'll leave family and familiarity behind and that can weigh heavily (what you may go through has been compared to a process of grieving). But stick with it. I'd have got back on a plane the day after landing but my wife convinced me to see it as an adventure, give it a year, and just see how I felt.

There are things I miss but it's romantic stuff really - silly stuff: dry stone walls, old country churches, historic buildings and towns, easy access to Europe (visited Italy last year - bloody nice). That said, we've a new baby on the way and this is a wonderful place to bring up a child. Also, the housing here is much cheaper (though often poorly constructed / insulated). My view from this chair looks up onto the Port Hills, down over Brighton and up the coast. Couldn't have hoped for anything so nice in the UK.

Good luck. Hope you go for it.

P.S. Here's a few pics taken last weekend. Nice roads. Nice scenery.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...p?albumid=1385

[McJim]

I'm from the UK - I want to go home

I'll elaborate:

If salaries were commensurate with housing prices I'd be happier.
If they abolished the stupid give way rule that confuses the locals, I'd be happier.
If they made motorvehicle insurance compulsory, I'd be happier.

I have struggled financially with housing my family since arriving here 5 years ago - I have never had disposable income as a result of this and have therefore not experienced any increase in quality of life that was alluded to at the expo in Earls Court.

Due to the questionable give way rules that exist on the road here I have been T boned twice since arriving here by local drivers once in a car which I walked away from and once when I was on the bike and I will always limp now Neither driver was insured nor was there any legal requirement for them to be. therefore I had to fight long and hard with my own insurance companies to get any recovery and in the end it wasn't enough to get me a vehicle of the same standard as the ones that got pranged - result? I don't think so.

By all means come over but be advised that it is not all a bed of roses.

Oh yeah - broadband is farken expensive over here AND it's still slow too!


Eh, apart from that it's peachy :

[Otis243]

Thanks Andy......experience of a move and bikes is very welcome and much appreciated. I think as advised I will have to look more closely at the sums.
How are you enjoying nz? Miss anything about UK?

Redmoggy raises an interesting point. I had a full residency visa before coming here so my experience with customs may have been easier than someone arriving on a work visa or a work to residency visa.
The LTSA web site is pretty good and should cover most questions, however, I get the impression that there can be inconsistencies with NZ Customs.

I'll PM you with all the nitty gritty things that we like or don’t like about here compared to the UK, but overall, I think coming here has worked out well for us as a family.

[stormerUK]

Wow thanks peeps...info and views coming in now and very welcome.

Winston....get up and go people are the ones I like and I did find that to be the case on a recent NZ trip... glass 1/2 full.

Rod...Redmoggy....good feedback there about the residency and GST payments....I will stsrt checking that out ASAP.

Molly....see why you took both bikes with you...nice machines. Both the wife and myself are people who check into everything before we take a big step and the step will be a positive one. Nice to hear from a YoYo happening (been watching the telly) and one that has worked out well.

McJim....your experiences I have found invaluable...many thanks. I really need to find out as many hates and bad experiences as possible so that I can compare the circumstances against ours and sit down and list the cons against pros.

Otis243...Andy have recieved your mail and am now going to see if I can answer it yet (i.e earned sufficient points on this site yet)
Many thanks Dylan

[Redmoggy]

Just a quick update on the bike shipping thing. My bike and tools (car mech) arrived in Auckland on the 4th Jan. Just found out this morn that they have cleared MAF (13 Jan) and could wait in a que to clear customs for up to a week before being inspected and sent down to Christchurch with the bill. Not sure i want to think about that bit right now. If it wasnt a classic bike that i put a lot of effort into restoring id have been better off leaving it in the UK. Besides that its used to living in my lounge now its in some cold damp dockside wharehouse with no one to kiss it goodnight
Rod

[Redmoggy]

Just had an email to say its all just cleared customs WooHoo!!
I just have to hand over the £900 in charges and they will ship it to Christchurch.
Rod

[Molly]

Interesting replies and especially interesting to read different experiences of Brits coming this way.

It's possible that we over analyse the whole migration thing. It's much easier these days and doesn't have to be seen as an 'all or nothing' thing. If after a few years you choose to return, at least you've had an interesting life experience and at least you gave it a go.

The Kiwis (and I know I'm generalising here) are a friendly and helpful lot on a one to one basis. Lots of petrol heads, and they seem to just take you at face value without any sinicism. Groups can seem impenetrable and 'clicky' though (but that could be said of anywhere).

Hope you go for it and find you settle in OK. PM me if there's any local info or help I can give.