Megan's 'Moving to Auckland' Guide
Friday 4 May 2018
In 2018, I decided to up sticks and move to Auckland, New Zealand. I was granted a working holiday visa for 1 year and headed over on my own into the unknown.
I thought I would share I few things I learnt along the way just in case anyone reading just happens to be moving to Auckland..(You never know)
Where to live
If you are not planning on getting a car for your trip, a good location is pretty important as the public transport system in Auckland isn't fantastic. Recommended suburbs include:
Ponsonby
Grey Lynn
Mount Eden
Kingsland
Mount Albert
Parnell
Ponsonby
Grey Lynn
Mount Eden
Kingsland
Mount Albert
Parnell
You can find rooms on TradeMe, or on Auckland Flatmate Facebook groups.
The average room can cost between $150-$300 a week – dependant on location and budget.
Jobs
Finding a job is fairly easy. There are numerous ways to do this. My background is admin, so I contacted a local recruitment company and became a temp – this gives me the freedom of working pretty much when I want.
Temping can also be done in other job fields, and adverts are easy to find online. Admin work pays about $20+ per hour so can be great to save some money.
If you prefer hospitality, there are tons of cafes and bars that are always recruiting. If you want to work in a coffee shop, you are likely to need barista experience, however, some places may be willing to teach you. Hospitality can pay a slightly lower wage at $16+ per hour – however, you may find some places that are willing to pay more.
There are also companies such a Sidekicker and The Recruitment Network that employ you on a casual basis, and you can just work the shifts you want. They often have work at events and concerts. This could be anything from security to bar staff. The plus side of this is that you may get to enjoy some of the events for free.
Helping Hands is a great website that allows you to create a profile documenting your experience and skills, which employers can view and contact you regarding jobs they are recruiting.
You may also find casual work available
Opening a bank account
ANZ is the only bank that will open a bank account for someone on a working holiday visa. You will require a proof of address – this is something I struggled with as they would not accept a letter from my landlord. I ended up using a bank statement from home with my UK address, and then once my account was set up I changed it to my NZ address – bizarre procedure.
You also require photo ID (must be your passport) and a copy of your visa
You will be given the option of whether you want an EFTPOS card or a Visa card. I chose EFTPOS as it was free, but I will be going back to get a Visa card as you are unable to use EFTPOS for online purchases. Visa also comes with Paywave (which us Brits just refer to as contactless).
IRD number
You require an IRD number to work in NZ, and it’s a pain to get one. The bank provided me with the form I required and you need to complete it and take it to a post office with a copy of your visa (the whole thing is required – don’t let the post office try an give you some back), and a signed/stamped bank statement that shows that you have an account and have made a withdrawal and a deposit. You also have to supply a copy of your passport.
If all your information is correct, it should take 10 working days to process.
I would recommend getting your bank account and IRD number sorted as soon as you get to NZ as it can take quite a while, and you need these before you can get a job.
Making friends
Moving to a new place can be lonely if you do it alone. I was lucky to have a friend already living in Auckland; however she works a lot so I spent a lot of time on my own.
There are lots of ‘friendship groups’ that are city-specific on Facebook. They arrange lots of different events that anyone can attend. I joined these, but I never felt confident enough to attend an event, however, a friend from home told me about Bumble BFF. For those who don’t know, Bumble is an app similar to Tinder, however, it has a feature for finding friends rather than love. I was a little apprehensive about it at first but ended up plucking up the courage to meet a group of girls for drink one evening and I was so glad that I did. There were quite a few people using the app that were just like me – even from England and had just moved to Auckland on a one year visa not really knowing anyone. I’m so glad that I joined Bumble, as I don’t think I would have enjoyed my time in Auckland as much on my own.
Since I have been here, I have also discovered Hey! Vina which is made by Tinder and is there version of a 'making friends app' - although there are more profile feature available on this one, there doesn't seem to be as much activity.
Other useful tips
- You must have your passport for ID when buying age restricted products such as alcohol or entering a club – they will not accept foreign driving licenses.
- If you are going to be a regular on public transport, it is worth buying an AT Hop card. This is Auckland's travel card which you pre paid which money and swipe on and off when you use the buses, trains and ferrys.
- If you are taking your mobile phone with you, make sure you get it unlocked first! I got a sim only deal with Vodafone for $19 a month but make sure you shop around as deals will always be changing.
- Say yes to new things! You've moved to the other side of the world. You may as well create some unforgettable experiences.
Kia Ora Auckland - Travel Diary
Wednesday 2 May 2018
It was weird being on my own for the first time in a month. Me and Hollie had been together 24/7 and now I was sitting in Brisbane Airport waiting for my flight to Auckland. As much as I loved it there, after a month of travelling in Australia and living out of a suitcase, I was pretty excited to settle in New Zealand and have a base for a while.
I was crazy nervous when I headed from Brisbane to Auckland. The only confirmation I had received for my visa was an email in March last year, which seemed inadequate. When I tried to check in to my flight 24 hours beforehand, it told me that wasn’t going to happen and I had to speak to someone at the airport. Once I got there, they were all breezy about it and checked me in straight away, whilst I had turned up 2 hours early because I thought I was going to have trouble.
I flew with Air New Zealand, which was a pretty good airline. At the airport, I made awkward eye contact with Pete Doherty after noticing his bizarre outfit choice of a smart shirt and tracksuit bottoms. Pretty sure I was the only person in the departure lounge that knew who he was though.
On the plane, I discovered that I was smart enough to book a meal which passed a bit of time - although it was only a 2-hour flight. I was a little off put by the kiwi girl sat next to me with her shoes off and on her tray table - inches away from my chicken pasta. But after eating my meal and watching a movie (Murder on the Orient Express - good film) my ordeal was over.
When I arrived in Auckland, no one even asked to look at my visa. There were no questions regarding my departure from the country or financial situation (I don’t yet have a return flight booked), and all they seemed to care about was whether I had any food in my luggage (I didn’t - surprisingly). Even when I declared on my customs form that I had come into contact with a kangaroo AND a koala within the last 30 days – because I just wanted to tell more people because it was so cool – they didn’t even bat an eyelid. I was the only person in the internationals queue as I had come from Australia, so I whizzed through and was in arrivals nice and quickly.
I was staying with my friend Megan - another friend I met during my time doing Camp America. When I arrived she took me to see some pretty nighttime views of Auckland City - it was 1am. This was my first viewing of the skyline which included the Sky Tower. As pretty as it was, it was super dark, and I was still in shock at the fact I had made it to New Zealand to take it in properly.
My first impression of Auckland was that it was small. I had been told it was a small city, but it wasn’t at all what I expected. It has a very small population for a city, and the streets are a lot calmer. To put it into perspective a little, the population is 1.377 million in Auckland, and in London, it is 8.788 million. That’s a big difference. It’s even crazier to think that the population of the whole of New Zealand is 4.7 million, and the population of the UK is 65.6 million. The capital of New Zealand – Wellington – has a population of just 496,000.
Auckland is built on volcanoes – yes, you read that correctly – and they are active. There have been about 90 eruptions within the last 9000 years, and there could easily be another one within our lifetime. On one of my sightseeing trips, I made a visit to the Auckland Museum which has a fascinating exhibition about the volcanoes. This includes a simulator which recreates what it would be like to be in a house in Auckland during a volcano eruption – it was pretty cool but also a little bit scary. Knowing my luck, there will probably be an eruption over the next year, because that’s just my life. The plus side of the volcanos is that you can climb them and see some incredible views. Mount Eden is pretty central and is a great spot to have a picnic looking out over the city. One Tree Hill is Cornwall park is also beautiful with amazing views.
Another thing that I have noticed is that everything seems pretty expensive, at first I thought it was just because I was still thinking in £’s but actually, even when you convert it, it is still expensive. For example, the average price for a small bottle of diet coke is $4. This would be about £2 – which I would absolutely never spend, that’s almost double the average UK price. (I’m lying, realistically I would spend all of my wages on D.Coke if required). However, the country redeems itself with its $5 Dominos pizzas. Apparently, they don’t really like them here – weird.
I've now been in the country for 2 months, and I have done so much. It was weird settling into my new lifestyle - in fact, it still is. I've had to make new friends and find a job and at times it has been hard. There has been plenty of moments where I have just wanted to come home, and a lot of times where I have felt very lonely. The experience is very different from Australia where I had someone with me every step of the way. Luckily everyone here is so friendly. The family I stayed with for the first month helped me settle in and showed me around. I was initially living out west of Auckland, in the suburb Te Atatu South, however as I don't have a car, I decided to move closer to the city so it was easier for me to get to work and explore the city.
I got work pretty much straight away and chose to go part-time to start off. I'm now looking for a full-time job and its a little harder. I think I may be temping for a while - which is fine as it gives me more freedom - but I feel anxious about not having a job set in stone. It makes me not want to spend my money and I'm stingy enough as it is.
At the moment I don't really have a life plan. Some days I think I want to go home soon because I miss my friends and family, and other days I realise I am living a great life experience and want to stay as long as possible. Maybe I'll find a good permanent job or a husband (lol) and stay here forever, or maybe I'll get fed up with people pronouncing my name wrong and book a flight home soon. Megan and I have a trip to Queenstown booked in June, which I am really looking forward to. I think I would like to do a tour of the South Island too. A lot of people tell me that Auckland is not a true New Zealand experience, so I am eager to explore some new places.
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