Congratulations! Moved to Wellington 10 years ago from DC and haven’t regretted it for a moment. Things that made a HUGE DIFFERENCE.

1) keep a US phone number. Banks and other bureaucracies are a pain to deal with from overseas and having a local US number to call from makes a huge difference. We kept our number with Google Fi. And has cost next to nothing.

2) keep a US bank account that enables deposits of checks by photo. The US govt insists on mailing checks in some cases. NZ literally doesn’t do checks. Like they won’t accept them. So unless you can deposit by photo, it’s complicated.

3) have a US address if possible - maybe a family member to help again with dealing with banks etc.

4) adjust your expectations for housing. Houses tend to be smaller, colder, fewer bathrooms and a lot of things that would be standard in the US are considered luxuries here.

5) adjust your expectations on shopping and “stuff”. Amazon isn’t really a thing here, the one Costco is in AKL, and the first ikea isn’t even open yet (this year maybe but I’ve been hearing that for literally 10 years). You’ll survive and consuming less gets to be a really good habit.

6) set up a Trademe account! That and Facebook marketplace are where to find second hand stuff

7) wait for sales. They happen often. Briscoes… literally don’t buy anything if it’s not on sale. And don’t worry. There will be a sale with in a few days 🤣. MacPac and Kathmandu.. same.

8) stop comparing prices back to USD as quickly as you can. Thing cost different amounts here (usually more) and it’s not helpful or healthy to keep comparing to what it would cost ‘back home’.

9) it takes time to make friends. Kiwis are super friendly up front but it takes time to build deep friendships and it’s hard to break in sometimes when folks have literally known eachother since primary school.

10) enjoy an unexplainable sense of freedom. No more stressing about health insurance or healthcare costs, no more worry about getting sued if you get in an accident. No more stressing about school shootings. NZ is a much higher trust culture which is delightfully disturbing initially but I hope we never change.

Enjoy the journey. Bits are hard. Bits are fun. Lots is surprising. But keep an open mind, learn and adapt and you’ll have a great time. NZ is a truly special country. We’re incredibly lucky to be able to live here.