I’m going to be listing here (and updating as things move on) a list of places we’ve used (and would recommend to our friends) that might be helpful for others.

Bank Accounts:

Based upon the advice of people living in NZ we set up an ASB account when we were in NZ. This was easily done over the counter IF you have the following documents:

• Passport
• Drivers Licence
• Official letter to your address in Australia (Rates, Water etc).

When we went into the bank, because we didn’t think about setting up a bank account before we left Australia we didn’t have any letter with proof of address. This meant that the ASB cashier had to call the head office to get authorisation to use our Australian Driver’s Licence – save yourself the hassle and bring these documents with you.

Transferring Money

For goodness sakes DO NOT USE THE BANKS. Even if you’ve got an easy transfer system with your current bank don’t use this – you’ll get a lot less money out of the transfer. We have been very happy with https://www.ofx.com and you can compare rates there with what you’d get with other providers. If you’re transferring a substantial amount, you can also get an account manager to negotiate a better rate for you and make a “buy offer” for when the international rate reaches a certain point.

Moving 

We’ve yet to receive our goods at the other end but thus far we’ve been exceptionally pleased with Conroy Removals. They’re a NZ based company with offices throughout Australia and along with knowing there stuff, being great removalists and easy to work with they also had a fair quote.

P.s. I’m listing the experiences as we’ve found and liked them – I’m not getting any recognition or payment for this (although I’d be happy to! I’d then of course mention that fact). 🙂

Note: The photo is taken in The Redwoods @ Rotorua. An incredible place if you get the chance to visit.