Can anyone tell me in detail what it's like to live in New Zealand?

Mayan*Myst

I am thinking of Immigrating to New Zealand from South Africa, Purly to get away from the terrible crime & Economic break down.. I am 24 & desperate to find out in detail things like average salaries (skilled level administrator), Qualified Firefighter, in comparison to food, nightlife, rent, cars etc.. please can someone help me with this??
Any thing?

Answer
I am from Texas and lived in Invercargill NZ from 1999-2004...my oldest son lives there now, and i visit annually.

The wages are a bit depressed compared to here in the states, and as far as cost of living goes it is hit and miss...Petrol prices are higher than the States, and eating out is MUCH more expensive. Nightlfe is comparable in price. But keep in mind there are lots of free outdoor activities like hiking etc. that are REALLY the toast of NZ.

Cars ( i sold cars there), are liek anywhere, you could spend very little or spend a fortune...for a serviceable car that will last a few years and get you from A to B...you will want to spend at least 7 or 8 thousand...but you get an ld junky set of wheels for $1000...or a new BMW for 150k....

featurecars.co.nz is a website you could look at for an idea, my buddy over there owns that car lot...he has his prices listed and pictures...

Violent crime is practically non-existent compared to the USA...petty theft and family violence is most of thei crime..but basically ZERO murders etc. I dont know of any SAFER plae to live than NZ...it is a really good plcefor yound families with kiddos. People generally dont lok there doors, and I even left my keys in the car overnight most nights lol.

Houses vary from region to region greatly...Auckland is REALLY expensive, and Queenstown is for the rich basically...Chrstchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Wellington and smaller cities have reasonable real estate ranging from 175k-500k and up...

I know right now in Invercargill you could get an awesome large 5 bedroom home for about 400k, or an older starter home for 175k..outside of the 3 large cities (Auckland, Christchurch, Wellinton) you really couldnt find an un-safe are to live in the whole country...

I must say that the food is lousy compared to the US, and similar to food in England...not alot of taste lol..but they have McD's, Burger King, KFC, Subway etc.
A Big Mac combo in NZ should run you about $7 these days..

A large meatlover's pizza from pizza hut delivered is about $17

In the deep south, i would say a family of 2 adults and 1 child could live comfrtably but modestly on an income of as little as 35,000/year...that wold be scraping buy though...60k/year and up wold afford a nice lifestyle in most of the South Island...

An experienced office worker should look to make anywhere between $12-15/hour..

I met a number of South Africans when i lived there who had also migrated and they were very happy with their move..they were mostly families looking to escape violence and turmoil, and they found NZ's slower pace and peaceful lifestyle very pleasing...as did I.

I dont know how much fireman get, i think there are alot of volunteer depts. but i know cops get about 40k/year to start...
New Zealand still has ALOT of agricultural and rural type jobs too and they generally pay good...Anything in the medical field pays very well...(nurse,doctor etc.)

My ex-father-in-law makes about 4k/month and he is the payroll coordinator for one of the regional hospitals...

Accounting always seems to have job listings too...not sure how well it pays...

A student working at McD's will get about $8/hour, and the manager probably makes about $12

As a car salesman on commission in a small town i made anywhere from 2500-5500 a month depending on business and sales...

Hope this helps, i could go on forever but this is getting long! lol

Good luck!

The most important thing to do before you move is to get a jon first, the job market can be tough there, but most jobs pay decent in line with the area's cost of living...just not as well as in the states...

Staying up at night worring about a break in?

Q. A lot of nights I'm in bed and I will hear a noise. I'll be terrified thinking my house is being broken into and he will kill me. I'll be up for hours just waiting and listening. I'll take my gun around downstairs and double check that all my doors are locked, and that no windows are broken and still be up for hours thinking I'm hearing things. I had an ex who was very abusive and I'm still terrified he'll get me since I left him and he went to prison for abusing me. It's been three years now since he got out of prison and I'm still scared. Is something wrong with me? Shouldn't I be over it by now?

Answer
He is probably abusing someone else now, and would have found you by now, if he was looking, and had the capability and resources (very few do). If he doesn't know where you live, your fears are unrealistic, and probably result from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or you have developed/exacerbated an anxiety condition.

You could set movement alarms downstairs, or get a dog, and train it using a book, and the Pets > Dogs section at Y!A (or do the former, and have the dog in your bedroom [it would set off the motion detectors] at night). PTSD is addressed in sections 33 - 34, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and professional EMDR therapy is known to be effective. Anxiety: section 6 (view page N first).

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Should I be charging commmercial? What should I be charging?

Brooke E

Every friday we clean a building that houses 40 constuction workers. It has 9 bedrooms, each bedroom has 2 sets of bunkbeds, a refrigerator, it has a kitchen, a large living area, 4 showers, 2 bathrooms, we do their laundry using our gas to drive to the laundry mat, and the building itself is 40 ft X 50 ft. Right now we are making about $300 a month.

Answer
So if my maths is right you are charging them around $75 a week to clean the building ?

If this is US $75 it equates to about $150 NZ a week - for a building this large - if you are required to do all rooms I would say they are getting a very good deal.

I would suggest you ring around a couple of commercial cleaning places - anonymously ask them what they would charge for this size job - just say you are considering getting in cleaners but want some sort of idea on price first - you may find you can actually charge more - it is a big job.

WAKING UP LOOKING FOR THINGS, BUT I AM ASLEEP, BUT AWARE??? COMPLICATED?

ryankell

I have had this happen twice. After having my daughter, I awoke one night, but I was still sleeping, I sat up and ACTUALLY thought that my baby had a twin sister that was lost in the bed with us!! I got up and looked allover the room for her, moving everything! I snapped out of it and realized I had only one baby and fell asleep. It happened again, 2 weeks ago, I sat up, and started panicking looking for my cell phone and bookmark, which i new were no where near me, if this is sleep Paralysis I would`nt be able to move. If it was sleepwalking, I would be doing activities,but I am waking up LOOKING for objects. But totally sleeping..... It feels dangerous, like I can`t control my body or mind, but I am partially aware and able to remember everything! Please Help....

Answer
Looking for objects is still an activity. If you are worried about danger, install a contact alarm on you bedroom door, so that, once set, it will go off if you try to leave the bedroom, which should be rendered as safe as reasonably possible.

It may possibly be as a result of anxiety, ("After having my daughter") so I suggest that you go to page N, in section 6, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and try the free CBT, and hypnotherapy, or consider professional hypnotherapy; most people are suggestible, to some extent:
Stop Sleep Walking Hypnosis Download
http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com Use one of the relaxation methods in section 11, after lights out.

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How much is the rent for an one-bedroom apartment in Wellington, New Zealand?

bedroom set nz image

3D Artist

(Per month)
Any good websites out there to look for apartment rental?

Answer
Tenancy Services (a government agency, part of the Department of Building and Housing) keeps statistics on market rent, based on information they collect when they receive bonds. When you rent a property, your landlord can ask for up to the equivalent of four weeks rent as bond - but they must give it to Tenancy Services who will look after it until the end of the tenancy. You can also be asked to pay up to two weeks rent in advance - so you'll need to budget for at least 6 weeks rent, plus the normal costs of setting up your apartment, like getting the phone connected.

As an example, currently a one-bedroom apartment rents for an average of $302 in Lambton (central Wellington), with rents ranging from $225 to $370.

Other areas (all for 1 bedroom, average NZ$, per week):

Brooklyn (for a flat, no apartment rate listed) - $257
Hataitai - $252
Island Bay/Melrose (for a flat) - $226
Johnsonville/Newlands - $238
Karori (for a flat) - $249
Karori South/Makara - $221
Kelburn/Aro Valley - $259
Khandallah (for a flat) - $234
Kilbernie/Lyall Bay - (for a flat) - $236
Kingston/Happy Valley - (for a flat) $206
Miramar/Strathmore - (for a flat) - $236
Mt Cook - $288
Mt Victoria/Roseneath - $317
Ngaio/Kaiwharawhara/Wilton (for a flat) - $231
Northland (for a flat) - $245
Oriental Bay/Seatoun (for a flat) - $296
Tawa/Grenada North (for a flat) - $195
Te Aro - $285
Vogeltown/Berhampore/Newtown - $257
Wadestown/Thordon - $334

NZers use the word "flat" when they are talking about a house several people share, but it can also be what you might call an apartment if it is part of a small complex. I don't know your personal circumstances, but it's often cheaper, and more fun, to share with others - at least for a start. Look for "flatmate wanted" ads if you want to explore that possibility - the main Wellington newspaper is the Dominion Post, so that would be where I would start my search. Also, sometimes renting a house will be cheaper.

Many of the real estate companies also manage rental properties and list them on their websites and Trademe is a good place to search (some links below).

How badly do rats and mice smell?

David

hey all

i want a pet in my bedroom and am thinking about rats or mice. i live in Australia and want something i can hold if i want.

how much does a set-up cost?
do they smell bad? it'd be in my bedroom, so it can't smell badly

hope you can help me

Answer
I certainly wouldn't get mice, there 'perfume' can get everywhere.

But rats, especially the girls, are very much smell free, long as you keep the cage clean :)
They are very sweet, loving, intelligent and social animals, So you have to get at least two ratties of the same se.
I live in NZ. And to get the basic cage set up is around $150-$200. But after that initial price, they are

But yeah, if you keep their cage clean, they dont smell at all, in fact, my girls smell like apples :)

Hope i helped.
RatLove
<":3)~~~

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whats the average of apartment rent in new zealand and whats the hippiest place i can stay.?

bedroom set nz image

binoe

im planning to stay in new zealand for a month or maybe 1yr or more, im just gathering some details how much is the average i mean real average (not high end), cost of apartment rental furnish or unfurnish,and whats the most hip area in the country at the same time i can also have some outdoor activities.

Answer
The hippest area in nz is ponsonby in Auckland. It is an old but affluent trendy inner city suburb. Quite kiwi as well full of arty trendy urban liberal types with great cafes and only 15 minutes walk to cbd and waterfront infact it looks down over it. Lots of parks nearby and water. But to get to a surfing beach you need to drive 30 minutes to piha. The cbd is full of immigrants and backpackers if thats your thing but it lacks soul and you wont meet many kiwis. If you want to surf and laze in the sun then go to tauranga 2 hours south of auckland,Its our 5th largest city and is a surfing and beach style resort town. Lots of culture and friendly laid back people. Rent in Auckland can be steep. Flating with 2 others will set you back $150-170 per week in kiwi dollars in the trendy areas. one bedroom studio or flat in the cbd is $220-350 per week. You can get studio flats in suburbs just outside the cbd like mt eden or mt albert for $180. Ponsonby,newmarket,remuera and kingsland are expensive innercity suburbs. The best place is herne bay and st marys bay in auckland but they are mega wealthy.

How the hell can I sleep at night ?

Jeremiah

I can't ever sleep at night and it really effects my personal life and body. I am 17 and I go to night school so I have no reason to really wake up early. I use to wake up early to work out for a while now because I have a stupid hemorrhoid in my ass. I need a job and that is like my only motive to wake up money but I can't find a job at this time. So for the time being what can I do to make myself fall asleep at night ?

Answer
Exercise, but not within 2 hours of bedtime. Have a warm bath, or shower, an hour before bedtime, then a glass of warm milk, possibly with Horlicks, or one of the herbal teas, below, and use dimmer lighting. Put your mind in a position where it wants to shut itself off, and sleep. See insomnia treatments, in much more detail than can be included here, in section 3, at ezy build, below. Use one of the relaxation methods, in bed, after lights out, in sections 11, 2, 2.c, or 2.i, but they can take some time to master, (Progressive Muscular Relaxation excepted) so learn and become proficient in their use during the day. An alternative is to use the EFT, in section 53, saying to yourself: "Even though I sometimes have a sleep disorder, I deeply and completely accept myself." (or choose your own wording) while you use the acupressure tapping.

Some more; quick, and easy to learn, are at http://www.umm.edu/sleep/relax_tech.htm The progressive muscle relaxation, (most easily learned) guided imagery, and mindfulness breathing are known to be effective. Find out which works best for you, in the daylight hours, so you will be prepared, come bedtime. For many people, a good idea is to develop a set "wind down" routine for the last hour before bedtime, so your subconscious mind learns that it is time to put thinking aside, and prepare for mindfulness, (awareness, without cogitation/purposeful thought) or the EFT, in preparation for sleep, but the idea with mindfulness is to not even think about sleeping: just drift off, naturally, during exercising those techniques.

Avoid TV, computer, or anything exciting in this hour, although reading a BORING! book is a good idea. I suggest that you try using the EMDR variant, in section 3, on page A, prior to the mindfulness, or the progressive muscular relaxation, but after the EFT, if that method is chosen. Experiment, to find which combination works best for you. I also use it prior to my chosen relaxation technique, after lights out, at night. Get strong light, preferably sunlight (even if overcast) soon after waking in the morning, to reset your circadian rhythm. Your bedroom should very dark, after lights out, and a good sleeping temperature is 70 F, or 19 C. No daytime napping. Have a cup of chamomile herbal tea, an hour before bedtime, and employ many of the techniques in section 3.

Others may prefer Sleepytime, by Celestial Seasonings, Relax, Be Sleepy, or valerian root, from supermarket tea, or health food aisles. http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris If you are one of the 40% of people who are fairly suggestible, you may wish to consider professional hypnotherapy, or: Cure Insomnia, & Sleep and Dream, & Sleep Like a Child, & Drift Off To Sleep, & Fall Asleep Fast
http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/ or from: http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com/h... - Quiet Blissful Sleep, & Enjoy Deep Sleep, & Restorative Healing Sleep.

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