Sorry but just a few more questions!

I really am sorry but each time I go away I think of some more questions.

My husband remembered that someone he worked with had family (from UK) living just outside of Auckland. They came back to the UK as they said the weather wasn't much better than the UK and also the heating wasn't good in winter (as there was only electrical heating). Apparently the insulation of the houses were not good, which is one of our problems in Spain believe it or not! :icon_rolleyes:

Just wondered if anyone could tell me how they found the winter in NZ. Also did you find the weather much better than UK? I know that there will probably be quite a lot of rain.

This may sound a really silly question but are there superstores in NZ? Like the B&Qs in the UK?

I think that is all my questions for today.

Thanks in advance :icon_biggrin:

Hi,
Yes, there are superstores here. For B&Q, you want places like 'Bunnings Warehouse' or 'Mitre 10 Mega'. High end, pricey furniture and electronics would be 'Harvey Normans', cheaper electronics go to 'Dick Smiths', the likes of Currys or Comet etc would be 'Noel Leemings' or 'Bond & Bond'. Of course, for a huge variety of fairly cheap stuff, you can't miss 'The Warehouse'! The Woolworths (UK) counterpart would be 'K-Mart'. Woolworths in NZ is a food supermarket.

A great deal of places here though are independent, or only have 2 or 3 stores. Only a distinct few appear across the whole of NZ.

Hi Bikershaz,

The temperatures are definitely better than in the UK. In the four years we lived in Auckland we only saw one early morning frost. It feels colder in winter as the houses are indeed poorly insulated and there is generally no central heating. We had a pot-belly stove in the living area (lounge/dining/kitchen) which really warmed the room up. There was a heater in the bathroom and that was that. New houses are better insulated and central heating can be included.

There is a lot of rain in the Auckland area but most of the time it is in the form of quick heavy showers which soon dry in summer.

If you are going in June (midwinter) then you can expect temperatures around 14-18C during the day, 6-9C during the night. Fortunately, many motels and b&bs have nice thick duvets and sometimes electric blankets.
Of course, it is colder the further south you go.

P.S. We are going to NZ in June.
:041:

I find it puzzling that UK people keep mentioning that houses in NZ don't have central heating. Surely if it is that much of a problem you just install it, like if you buy a house over here without heating

[quote:30f0714725="moggy"]I find it puzzling that UK people keep mentioning that houses in NZ don't have central heating. Surely if it is that much of a problem you just install it, like if you buy a house over here without heating[/quote:30f0714725]

I think the kiwis themselves just accept their homes without central heating - just as we did in the UK some 20/30 years ago. Us soft poms have since gone to NZ and miss our central heating but have not found it easy to find companies to install it, and those that do are expensive. Today it is becoming more frequent and less expensive as demand grows but I would bet the majority of consumers are the rich kiwis and comfort-loving emigrants.
:icon_biggrin:

I think a fair bit of the trouble is the availability of fuels to run central heating. You either need gas or some kind of solid fuel, which just aren't available NZ wide. A lot of homes are built purely with an electricity supply, and thats your lot.

The house we're in has gas, but our friends about 3 streets away can't get gas, even though the houses were built at the same time! Thats the state of play in some places!

You can get electric oil filled radiators, or night storage heaters, but thats about it for electricity.