Moving to Auckland

Traffic can be quite restrictive in Auckland, making proximity to your workplace really important for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Next-most important is your closeness to schools, followed by access to supermarkets and transport links (bus stops, train stations, and the motorway). As with any large city, Auckland is not crime-free. Some areas have more problems than others, so it’s important to do your research before committing to them. If you know roughly where you’ll be working, these areas are good places to start searching:

• The CBD. Beaumont Quarter, Wynyard Quarter, the Eastern Bays, and central suburbs such as Parnell, Mt Eden, Remuera, Epsom, and Grafton.
• North Shore. Suburbs east of the northern motorway, and Albany.
• Newmarket. Newmarket itself, plus Parnell, Mt Eden, Remuera, Epsom, and Grafton.
• Airport area. Māngere Bridge, Onehunga, and the Eastern suburbs. These areas are pleasant and have direct routes to the airport.

At the end of the day, where you choose to settle down will depend on what’s important to you and your family. Any location will have trade-offs (larger home, but longer commute; etc.), but our home finding service can help narrow down your options. Need time to think things over? We can help sort out temporary accommodation as well. Got a place in mind? We can sort out a test-run so you can try driving the commute during peak hours (even if you don’t have a car yet).

Schools give first priority to children who live inside their enrolment zones, so for many, this is the second big thing to consider when it comes to housing. Enrolment usually requires a permanent address, which drives up housing demand in sought-after zones. Many of our overseas clients with families choose the Eastern suburbs, Parnell, Mt Eden, Epsom, Remuera, and Grafton. These areas have good schools and daycares, are close to the CBD, and have good options for transport. Plenty of new arrivals also settle on the North Shore for a more casual lifestyle close to the beaches.

Moving to Auckland with kids can be emotionally draining. This is doubly so for families with special-needs children. Our school search programme is tailored specifically for each family. Whatever your children’s needs are, we can help find the right place for them learn and grow. Have a dream school in mind, but not sure where to start? We’ll find housing options for you in the right zone. If you live inside a school’s zone, your child has a right to attend it. Learn more with our education guide.

Auckland’s suburbs each have a wide and varied range of housing options, including freestanding homes, townhouses, and apartments aplenty. This is great for prospective movers, because it means no suburb needs to be ruled out on affordability alone. When looking to buy, keep in mind that “older is colder,” whereas rentals are legally required to meet or exceed national standards for insulation and heating. Flooding is also a factor to be aware of in parts of the city. Before committing to a property, you should do your due diligence, and check flood maps of the area.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at this point, we can help. Our local people know just what to look for: housing that’s north-facing, flood-safe, and in the right location, all while staying within your budget. Once you’ve found a place, we recommend getting in touch with Fast Connect, a free service that can arrange your connection to essential services like electricity, gas and internet. If the containers haven’t arrived yet, using our furniture hire service can make that in-between period less stressful.

For families, having a car is virtually indispensable in a sprawling city like Auckland, especially for taking trips out of town (which is half the point of living here!). When it comes to your day-to-day commute, there are a couple of other options available. Buses are good if you’re travelling ~30 minutes to work, but have the downside of being crowded by students at certain times of day.

Auckland also has a train system, which recently opened new stations in the CBD. If there’s a station near your workplace, keep it in mind while house-hunting. Biking, although viable, does require additional care. Auckland’s suburban cycle lanes aren’t continuously protected, so riding can be hazardous. Do your homework and find safe routes.

You can use Auckland Transport to plan trips and check the timetables for buses, trains, and ferries. If you have a vehicle overseas, get in touch with our friendly vehicle shipping people. If it isn’t worth bringing, they’ll tell you. Last but not least, pick up a little experience with Auckland’s transport systems on our orientation tour.

Nothing in New Zealand is reliably cheaper to replace than to ship, and minimum shipping charges means adding items isn’t especially costly. Unless you have a fixed-term post in the country, it’s often worth it to just ship more. If you know you might only be here for a shorter amount of time, it may be worth storing some of your belongings in your country of origin. If you’re unsure for a given item, check how much it would cost (and how long it would take) to get a replacement in New Zealand.

Electronics that are labelled 100–240V should work perfectly fine on New Zealand’s 230V network, but will likely require a plug adaptor. Most other appliances will work if you use a power converter, but doing so can reduce the lifespan of both devices if the converter isn’t specced correctly. For larger appliances, it’s usually worth picking up new ones in New Zealand.

Outdoor gear, garden tools, wooden items and anything carrying soil or seeds will get flagged as possible biosecurity risks by the Ministry for Primary Industries. Make sure to clean these before packing, and declare them in all the relevant places.

Cars stand out as one of the trickiest things that most people have to decide on. Get in touch for our advice on shipping it vs buying one in NZ. Finally, if you’re worried about anything happening to your belongings while they’re on their way over to you, check out Crown’s transit insurance.

Sea freight takes weeks or months, which means that your belongings are going to be out on the ocean for a little while. You can race them if you want, using our global shipment tracker, but the chances are pretty solidly in your favour. If you have small important items, consider bringing them with you on the plane.

Once you arrive, we can help you find somewhere pre-furnished to stay temporarily while you search for someplace to call home. If, once you’ve acquired a more permanent place of residence, your shipment is still taking its time, we can provide rental furniture until it arrives. On the other hand, if the container with your stuff arrives before you’ve found somewhere to settle down, we can store it safely in our Auckland warehouse.