Moving to Hamilton

It’s not too hard to get around Hamilton, and where you live matters a lot less than somewhere like Auckland. At 5 pm, one of our team can cross half the city in 13 minutes, and get from Pukete to Hillcrest in about 30. Still, if you’re worried about location, try driving your potential commute or getting a feel for Hamilton’s public transport on our orientation tour.

While having a car is preferable, you don’t necessarily need one straight away. Cycling is a good option, because the city is really quite flat, and there are plenty of bus stops around. The Orbiter bus runs every 15 minutes around the main suburban centres, and you can use BUSIT to plan trips and check timetables. Where a car does matter is for getting out of the city. Trips out of town are one of Hamilton’s big draws, and that gets much trickier without a vehicle. 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. Either way, here’s a quick list of places worth visiting:

We’re pretty sure it’s a legal requirement for all traffic to or from Auckland to stop at Pokeno for an old school ice cream. If you own a car, ask us about shipping your vehicle; if it isn’t worth bringing, we’ll tell you. An orientation tour drives your likely commute at peak, and your car can wait in vehicle storage until you’ve chosen a suburb.

Some think of Hamilton as boring, and that’s true, to an extent. Its proximity to Auckland limits the tourist draw, so it isn’t huge on attractions. For those who appreciate a quieter life, there’s still plenty on offer: a zoo, local parks, river walks and cycling trails, and the Hamilton Gardens, as well as numerous places nearby for day trips.

Education-wise, many schools use enrolment zones, which are tied to your home address. This creates a problem for families moving to Hamilton with children. Many families are still in temporary accommodation when the school year starts, meaning they don’t yet have a zoned address. Plan accordingly, and be aware that children may not be able to start school until after you sort out your housing.

Our school search programme is tailored to each family. Whatever your children’s needs, we can help find the right place for them to learn and grow. Have a dream school in mind, but not sure where to start? We’ll find housing options for you in its zone, giving your child the right to attend it. Learn more in our education guide.

Housing in the city is generally quite good: a mix of well-established suburbs with solid older builds, newer homes, and a growing supply of smaller homes at more affordable price points. Excluding the small-section builds, housing is generally more spacious than somewhere like Auckland. The north-east suburbs have seen a lot of development in recent years and are still expanding. There’s also a major new development called Peacocke to the south of the city, projected to house more than 20,000 residents in the future.

Most of Hamilton’s suburbs have something to offer if you know where to look, and you shouldn’t rule anywhere out on a first impression. That’s why you want our local team on your side. 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 container hasn’t arrived yet, our furniture hire service can make that in-between period less stressful.

If you want to fast-track your way into local life, sport is the way to go, and Waikato Stadium is one of the best grounds in the country to watch a game. You can catch home games for our team, the Chiefs. They’ve got a habit of making the Super Rugby final and then losing it, but it’s still a good watch. Sport is popular with the kids as well. A member of our local team coaches an after-school sports team, and feels like they’ve met half the neighbourhood.

Hamilton also has a great op-shop scene, which somehow manages not to “feel op-shoppy”. These second-hand stores are a great place to stock up on everyday household items while you’re waiting for your belongings to arrive.

If you want to jump right in, try taking a tour to learn the ins and outs of the city. Alternatively, if you’re worried about fitting in, consider our intercultural support programme. Finally, see our advice on moving with kids.

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

Electronics labelled 100–240 V should work perfectly well on New Zealand’s 230 V network, but will likely need a plug adapter. Most other appliances will work with a power converter, but this can shorten 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 to decide on. Get in touch for our advice on shipping one versus buying in NZ. Finally, if you’re worried about anything happening to your belongings on their way over, check out Crown’s transit insurance.

Sea freight takes weeks or months, which means your belongings are going to be out on the ocean for a while. You can race them if you want, using our global shipment tracker, but the odds 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 furnished to stay temporarily while you search for a place to call home. If your shipment is still taking its time once you’ve found a more permanent home, we can provide rental furniture until it arrives. On the other hand, if the container arrives before you’ve found somewhere to settle, we can store it safely in our Hamilton warehouse.