One of the things I’ve been most looking forward to doing since moving to Wellington was riding the Cable Car. I don’t know why, but I find something enchanting about old school transportation. I went today and really enjoyed the experience!
End of the line: Kelburn station
A little background on the cable car: It has been running for over 100 years and is the only railway like it in New Zealand. The ride is just 5 minutes long and takes you from the busy streets of Lambton Quay to the quiet suburb of Kelburn. At the top, there are a few fun things to do including the Cable Car Museum, Botanic Gardens, Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary, and Space Place. There is no fee for the museum or the botanic gardens.
It was a bit chilly and windy when I went so I spent much of my time checking out the views and visiting the museum, but I have plans to take the trip again this weekend.
One of the more obvious views. However, this site alone is worth your ticket up in my opinion
When you get to the top of the mountain, make sure you take a walk around, or you’ll be missing quite a few unique views of the harbor and downtown. The obvious spots to take pictures are right by where the Cable Car lets you off, but if you walk just 5 minutes towards “Space Place,” there is another look out that isn’t too be missed. There is also a nice trail that way that takes you through the mountains, should you want to skip the botanical gardens.
The museum is small but manages to include what seemed like a day’s worth of reading on its walls. I would say the main attractions for me were the two older cars that used to run the tracks. The “Red Rattler” from the 1950s even had seats on the outside, which I found especially interesting; in addition to the obvious dangers of being on the outside, I also think it would be quite cold, given Wellington’s famous winds.
The “Red Rattler” car was used on the line between the 1950s and 1970sThe frightening outdoor seats
The other car, from the early 1900’s was plain gorgeous. While it’s missing the now-iconic red hue, the victorian design and colors are quite charming.
“Grip Car No. 3” carried passengers in the early 1900s
Something else I should note about the museum is its situated inside the original “winding house” for the cable car. In fact, you can still see the original winding mechanism that pulled the cars up and down the mountainside!
Sign inside the original winding houseOne of the original gears used to pull cars up the mountainside
The only other exhibit inside the museum (I told you it was small) features model trains, which always make me think of Sheldon Cooper from the “Big Bang Theory.” They were fun to look at and take pictures of, and one of the buildings kind of looks like Hogwarts, so I would recommend checking them out.
The Cable Car Museum model train exhibit was fun and sure to be a highlight for any kid
Finally, the most surprising part of today’s adventure was the light shows hidden inside the tunnels along the mountain. I didn’t expect to see these installations on a historic railway but really did enjoy them. And make sure you don’t just look at them going through; the patterns are not to be missed…so sit near the front or rear of the car so you can watch them dance.
It may not be the LUX Light Festival, but this is a fun display you can catch year-round
Getting ready for my big move was anything but easy. In fact, it was s 7-month process, and even then I feel like I probably could’ve used more time.
Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide on how I moved to New Zealand.
1. Apply for the working holiday visa. Open to people in several English-speaking countries ages 18 to 30, the working holiday visa scheme allows a person to live and work in in New Zealand for a year. Australia has a similar program.
You can apply for the visa online here. There is a fee and you have to provide your education and passport information. It is surprisingly easy to do, and in most cases doesn’t involve any extra documentation.
After applying, you will find out if you gained approval within a few weeks, if not days. After you’re approved, you have a year to enter New Zealand. Your visa activates when you land, giving you a year in the country from your time of arrival.
2. Figure out your financial obligations. In my case, this included my apartment lease and my car lease. My apartment lease ended in February, which fell within my year time frame, so I decided to just wait that out. The car lease was trickier.
In order to get out of my car lease, I paid to put an ad on LeaseTrader, a website designed specifically for people looking to exit their car leases early. The site does require a fee and works by pairing sellers (leaseholders) with people who want to pick up a lease. This could be because they have bad credit, or want a shorter duration than the standard 3 years. In my case, the buyer was in the latter category.
I was able to find a buyer pretty quickly, but the actual process took more than 4 months even though I was told it took a month. I am not sure if this is because I was with Honda Financial, as my research suggests they aren’t easy to work with. Either way, my advice to anyone doing this is to give yourself extra time, and don’t book any tickets until you are close to the end of the process.
3. Start getting rid of your stuff. Sorry, no matter how much you like that dress or how sentimental that t-shirt is, there is only so much you can take on a plane. The more stuff you have, the earlier start deciding what you can live without the better. (I had been living on my own for 12 years and was a bit of a pack-rat, so this process legit took me 4 months. See my post on the process here.
4. Buy your tickets. I recommend doing this as soon as you have a timetable, and ideally before you quit your job and sell your furniture because both of those things are really hard and scary. If my tickets hadn’t been booked when I did those things, there’s a good chance I would’ve backed out.
5. Quit your job, with appropriate notice. I gave 6 weeks because there was no way I was going to start planning if I didn’t, but 2 weeks is usually fine.
6. If you have a pet, make sure you find a home for him or her. Please do your best to avoid surrendering any animal to a shelter. I was lucky enough to find an incredible home for my beloved cat with a coworker. Giving up Rory was probably the hardest things I had to do. I cried most of the day after giving him away, but know he is happier now than he would’ve been with me.
Rory on one of our last days together. I sobbed giving him up and miss him everyday. Do not take giving up your furry family lightly.
7. Search for housing. You’ll want to have a place lined up before you land. I was lucky enough to know someone in Wellington before I arrived, and she helped me find a great place with some chill kiwis. However, I did do my own searching before then. The best places to look for flats in New Zealand is trademe. (This is also a good site to look for jobs.) If you are moving to Wellington, I would also suggest the facebook group Vic Deals. (I also found a similar group for Auckland.) There are also several hostels you can stay at long term, as well as Airbnb, but those tend to be more expensive.
8. Prepare and pack. I brought way too much stuff with me because I was unsure what the climate was going to be like. I would recommend no more than one suitcase (preferably carry-on size) and one bookbag. If you’re moving to Wellington I also recommend a good, water-resistant winter coat. (Best investment of my life) Be prepared to get rid of whatever doesn’t fit in your bags.
9. Say goodbye and take off! This is going to likely be the longest plane ride of your life, so prepare for jet lag by doing your best to start thinking in “New Zealand” time ahead of your arrival. I put the time on my world clock app, and this helped a lot. I used this to decide when I would go to sleep and when I would be awake on my journey. It was fool-proof but I recovered from jetlag in about 24 hours.
10. When you arrive, you’ll have to go through customs which is fairly easy. Wellington International Airport had automated machines that scanned my passport and saw I had a visa. I didn’t have to talk to anyone. I would still recommend having your visa printed out and with you just in case. (Legally you need to keep it with your passport at all times anyway.)
11. After you settle in the first things you’re going to want to do are: get a New Zealand phone number, open up a bank account, and get your NZ IRD number. (An IRD number is for tax purposes, and you need one to work in New Zealand.) I would do them in this order as well, as you’ll want to give your phone number to the bank, and you need a bank account to apply for an IRD number.
–My suggestions for phone service: I started out with Vodaphone’s travel sim. This was a set number of calls, texts and data for 2 months. After that I can either toss my sim card or go on a month-to-month plan. This gives me a way out should I want to leave New Zealand early.
–You have a lot of options with banking. I chose ANZ and really like it so far. Everything is on my phone which makes my life pretty easy.
-To learn more about what you need for an IRD number, I would suggest just checking out the website here. You can print the application form from the site, or pick them up at any PostShop. The PostShop will mail your application to the agency for free.
12. Find a job. Admittingly you could start trying to do this before you arrive, but I have been told most companies in New Zealand want you on the ground first before they will consider you. While I know of at least one case of this not being true, most of my luck has come since moving here. My biggest advice with this is make sure you put together a New Zealand CV, as it is much different than than a US one. (You can find templates here.)
That’s it! Once you have all this done all you have left to do is enjoy your time in New Zealand. (I’m still working on that as well, and will hopefully share more advice as the year goes on.)
‘You can’t beat Wellington on a good day.’ – Every Wellingtonian
Something you may find surprising about New Zealand is that most of the houses here lack both insulation and central heat. So that means this girl from Florida now has to learn to layer up and embrace the cold. This by far has been the hardest part of the transition, and from what I hear it is only sure to get colder.
That being said, Wellington is an amazing little city that I would recommend anyone visiting New Zealand check out. The weather leaves a bit to be desired, but the city makes up for it in charm, artwork and fun activities. (Oh, and did I mention an abundance of coffee shops, food, and drink options?)
For example, this week in Wellington we currently have two events going on: The NZ International Comedy Festival and the LUX Light F.estival. I’ve already attended both, but because they are so large I hope to visit both again.
Unfortunately, you aren’t supposed to take pictures during the comedy shows, but the one I went to on my birthday was quite fantastic. It featured six comics, all who had their own style and background. (One was even from the states and made fun of my beloved Philadelphia!) It was a great way to get a taste of the shows going on around town, and unlike most comedy shows in the states, there was no beverage requirement to enjoy the fun.
“The Circus of Light” is a show projected onto the Wellington City Council Building. It was interesting…
The LUX Light Festival was such a unique experience. Basically, artists take over the entirety of Wellington by putting on unique and sometimes interactive displays centered around the “light” theme. For example, one of the art pieces is a large box of sound and light and spectators could change the patterns by touching the box. There are also a whole “district” dedicated to displays for children so it’s also family friendly. Plus there’s food, including glow-in-the-dark gelato.
Another display projects nostalgic images onto hanging clothes
The festival is so big, that while the group I was with thought we hit all the artwork, we simply did not. I walked by an installation I hadn’t seen last night. And since the event is free, I can just check it out the next time I stroll by.
And that’s not all, later this month there is The Wellington Food Show, which I plan to eat my way through. So for a town of fewer than 500,000 people, this city has a lot going on. So I guess I’ll just have to buy a hat.
I’ve been in New Zealand for a few days. I haven’t accomplished much, I’ve mostly visited several new coffee shops, and developed an intimate relationship with my new bed.
Being here isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Setting up even the simplest thing, like a bank account takes about 16 hoops to jump through. And of course, you need a bank account before you can get a tax number, and you need a tax number before you can work. I know this will all be worth it when I finish, but right now it is mostly just frustrating.
To top this all off, I am turning 31 today in a land where I don’t know really anyone. I am lucky enough to have met a few people through a fabulous online community known as “Girls Love Travel.” But I can’t count on these people to throw me any sort of celebration. I do have one friend here (you may know her as the famous Expat Edna), so we are doing something, but the event will be much smaller than the narcissistic shindigs I am used to throwing myself in the states.
But, I need to remember: I am turning 31 in NEW ZEALAND. This was the dream, the adventure I set out to have. Things aren’t going to be a super happy fun time right off the bat, are they? And I think I found my go-to coffee shop today, so that’s a big plus. It is called “Memphis Belle” and it is in the funky Te Aro area of Wellington. They play loud music, the furniture is eclectic and the staff is incredibly friendly. The vegetarian sandwich I had was to die for, and their coffee among the best I have had here. (Plus they have almond milk, which I have found is hard to find here.) 9.5/10 would recommend.
I have only been here for a few hours and already I’m in love. This place is unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been.
The plants are a mix of the “tropical” ones I’ve come to love in Florida, as well as more evergreen sort of trees. The mountains are unlike anything back home. Plus, there are lots of cool restaurants, bars and public art in Wellington. It’s quite fantastic.
Yes, it is cold. But I am surprisingly okay with it. After all, I’m in New Zealand, and that’s pretty amazing.
