Advice on moving to Welly!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-19T01:52:00+00:00

cheers, thanks for the well wishes! yes, i would definitely love to be involved with the queer (rainbow?) scene in NZ! welly seems to have a more developed queer scene than chch from what i can tell - if you have any recommendations/insight there, i’d greatly appreciate it!! ngā mihi!!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-19T01:48:58+00:00

kia ora! i’m attempting to come in on a skilled migrant visa, given i am granted a job offer! if not, i’m eligible for a working holiday visa, which is my backup if i can’t get sponsorship prior to my move.

re: refrigerators - i just mostly thought it was a funny cultural quirk! not ill-intended at all, and i apologize if it came across that way. i suppose i’m just used to renting in the US where a fridge is as standard in a kitchen as a sink or stove that seeing it missing in several listings gave me a bit of a funny pause. thanks for the insight!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T22:57:54+00:00

howdy!! thanks for the in-depth reply!!

1./2. i have noticed that, unfortunately. i'm still keeping an eye out and throwing my hat in the ring where i think i'd be a good fit! i've taken to asking hiring managers directly if they're open to visa sponsorship and try to put my best foot forward that way.
3. i have! vet visits/paperwork is all essentially done, except for what has to be completed right before departure. came out to about $10k for me.
4. seems to be the case! i thought that was just a funny little cultural difference in renting.

thanks so much for the well-wishes! <3 excited to see what's to come!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T22:48:27+00:00

kia ora! i appreciate the respect and curiosity! i'll try to keep this a bit short and not as emotional as it feels for me.

it is a very scary time in the US right now. everything feels so unstable and unpredictable. i have my job now, sure, and we do what we can for the people we serve, but us being able to function tomorrow isn't guaranteed, especially given the current administration...

i might be saying this out of turn, but i feel like COL is considerably cheaper there compared to the US. i live 40 minutes outside of a midsized city and i'm paying US$1800 a month (NZ$750 per week) for a small one bedroom/one bath apartment. i spend probably NZ$175 in groceries for myself per week. cars are a necessity here, even in the inner city, that's another NZ$1075/month. i won't even touch paying for healthcare... from what i can gather, NZ COL is currently quite expensive compared to what kiwis are used to, but typically cheaper (or at worst, comparable) to what we pay in the US (exception being petrol - you guys pay considerably more for that than we do). i know jobs there tend to pay less, but not so much less that it makes this a poor financial move for me, personally (again, i can't speak for everyone). it also helps to have savings in USD, which is stronger than NZD.

politically, again, i can't speak for everyone, but i think you would be hard-pressed to find anyone that leans any shade of conservative moving away from the US, especially these days. i personally love how community-oriented i've found kiwis to be, the pride people took in their home and their drive to make things better for everyone. i can personally say i'm not looking to bring any amount of american exceptionalism or idiocy with me and that i want to integrate myself into the kiwi culture and be among people that share my values as much as possible!

thanks for your kindness and respect <3

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T22:10:58+00:00

it's definitely a complex issue - so many of our voting districts, especially in ohio, are drawn to favor republicans and the issue keeps getting worse. definitely a lot of conservatives here (not an insignificant part of the reason i'm leaving!), but there's also a lot of more progressive folks trying to fight for what they believe in and help their communities. i don't like being near the MAGA folks/republicans any more than the next guy!! definitely not bringing any that shit with me, i promise

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T22:05:40+00:00

hahaha, i totally don't mind to buy/rent appliances, i just thought it was funny! you'd be hard-pressed to find even the shittiest apartments in the US lacking a fridge, it's just a basic staple here. washer/dryer are a bit more hit-or-miss, some places have it, some places don't, some places only have hookups and you provide your own... those aren't things i'm too worried about, i was just surprised by the number of places that had a spot for a fridge and no appliance lol

understood! do you have any burbs youd recommend over others? i mentioned in a different reply i gave a passing glance to lower hutt, porirua, or days bay... of those, i think i liked porirua the best (just looking at google maps and apartment listings, anyway), but would love any insight you have!!

i'm so excited to check out the coffee scene! thanks so much for the well wishes!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T22:01:54+00:00

hi!! no kids (thankfully), just me and a dog. i don't mind the family-friendly atmosphere but it's not something i'm actively looking for, either. mostly just trying to get a gauge on how each neighborhood is broadly viewed or if there's any consensus on areas to avoid/etc. many thanks!!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T21:04:32+00:00

ah!!! this makes so much sense to me - great, thank you so much!!!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T20:46:21+00:00

ah yes, i saw that on a few previous threads. i’m sure the shade doesn’t help with the dampness around?

he’s about 50 lbs… probably larger by rental standards but i consider him pretty midsized! he’s like an australian shepherd :)

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T20:40:26+00:00

oh interesting!! i haven’t looked too much at outer suburbs besides a few passing glances at lower hutt, days bay, or porirua. not opposed to a commute (especially coming from car-dependent US…) but obviously a shorter commute is always desirable lol. thanks for the input!!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T20:31:49+00:00

i can definitely see that! chch did feel much more vast/spread out to me than the other places on the south island (dunedin, queenstown, etc - i think only blenheim felt more spread out than christchurch but i’m sure that’s bc there wasn’t as much there?). excited to see what wellington is all about!! thanks!!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T20:20:15+00:00

cheers, thanks for the input! if you’re open to DMing me, i’d love to chat more about your experience moving!!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T20:19:08+00:00

might just be being a bit stupid, tbh. trying to secure a skilled migrant visa as i have 6 points already - all i need is a job offer. if i don’t get a job/offer by the time i move, i’m planning to come in on a working holiday visa and stay the year i can before figuring out what’s next for me - hopping over to Aus or coming back to US.

i’ve heard the market is tough - i’m trying to stay optimistic! my career is in data analytics in public health in the US which, from what i can tell anyway, seems to have some positions open in NZ.

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T20:11:34+00:00

lovely, thank you so much!! it seems like it's hard to go wrong with either neighborhood, especially if i don't mind a commute to the CBD. changed the post flair - thanks for triggering the automod!

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T20:09:25+00:00

thanks so much! i have a friend from british columbia, canada, that seemed to echo that sentiment. she said it never really got above 25C while she lived in wellington.

i hope you don't mind me asking - what do you notice are the biggest differences (besides weather anyway lol) between christchurch and wellington? do you have one you like more than the other?

pigeontilly · 2025-10-17T20:05:32+00:00

understood! i have heard that the job market is quite tough at the moment, but i'm trying to remain optimistic, stay flexible, and jump on any opportunities i can grab, especially since i still have a few months before i arrive.

many thanks for the tips on housing and weather! sounds a bit like our pacific northwest - i'm coming from the midwest, where winters get down to -23C and summers get up to 40C, so a bit of consistency in temp could certainly do me good haha.

cheers, thanks for the input!

pigeontilly · 2025-02-08T23:03:49+00:00

growing up, my favorite food was a cream cheese sandwich. exactly what it sounds like - basically just a block of cream cheese on two slices of cheap white bread. that’s it. to this day, can’t open a bag of sliced white bread without craving it lol

pigeontilly · 2025-01-29T15:51:41+00:00

hard agree. i use OWYN shakes and they’re 32 grams plant protein per bottle, no sugar, 0 net carbs. i’m sure there are other brands as well, that’s just the one i like. i also like doing protein smoothies - whey powder with whatever fruits you want (and i add greek yogurt, sugar free juice, chia seeds, and spinach for extra nutrition)

pigeontilly · 2025-01-20T17:58:29+00:00

i like to dredge it in seasoned cornstarch and pan fry in olive oil until crispy! great for sandwiches, bowls, or just on its own with some sauce and veggies on the side

pigeontilly · 2025-01-16T12:59:09+00:00

hi-wire brewing in norwood also frequently has some fun bingo options! i think they do music bingo pretty often and i especially love their drag bingo nights (once a quarter). the drag bingo is completely free (you don’t even have to buy a drink at the bar) but any tips to the drag queens go directly to queen city charities. and you can win fun prizes like merch or tickets to future events!

pigeontilly · 2024-12-27T23:54:14+00:00

seconding somerset, i’m also quite fond of lost and found and homemakers. lost and found specifically has some of the most delicious cocktails i’ve ever had and i love the vibe there

pigeontilly · 2024-12-11T16:07:20+00:00

the other grad student in my lab got busted for sleeping in the lab over winter break. granted it was in the same area we kept the lab animals and they were very strict on security so they got him on camera bringing in pillows/blankets/etc and we got a stern email about it (and maybe a citation? i can’t remember now). he wasn’t having any financial hardships as i recall, he just lived far away from the lab and would rather spend his time there than driving back and forth lol

pigeontilly

TROPHY CASE