what to take?

[kokopeli]

Hi,

We brought a tent, a motorhome awning, lawnmower, bikes and an outdoor trampoline over from the UK recently without any problems. I think the key is to be very diligent and well prepared....

Two chaps from MAF came to inspect our stuff once we'd unloaded the container. I gave them a list of all our outdoor things and explained how I'd cleaned each item before it was packed. They liked that, so we got off to a good start!

You don't need to use a cleaning company - I did it all myself. It took me ages, but I knew that it was done properly.


I cleaned the tent poles and pegs with disinfectant and hot water. Actually, I put the pegs through the dishwasher, but don't tell the people who bought our house! I wiped the material on the tent and awning with spray disinfectant and used a vacuum cleaner inside the tent to suck up any debris (insects, grass, leaves etc).

The MAF guys popped the wheel trims on my lawnmower and turned it upside down to check for trapped grass. Again, I'd scrubbed it down with disinfectant and the jet washer, so didn't have any problems.

The bikes got a good going over, especially under the seats and other bits where mud gets trapped. Again, a good scrub with disinfectant and the jet washer were good enough to get them through.

I was worried about the trampoline because it had been outside in the garden for over a year. I spent ages scrubbing the metal frame with disinfectant and spraying the jet-wash down the tubing to flush out any creepy crawlies. Again, it all passed with no problems.


If you can clean everything, you'll be fine. If you can't, then sell it and buy replacements when you get to NZ. Anyone who has been for a paddle in a river infected with didymo (horrible green slime) will know just how important those bio-checks are. I can't say about other places, but the MAF guys in Christchurch were really helpful and polite. They explained what they were looking for, were careful with our stuff and gave the kids loads of stickers and pens. Only trouble is that I've got a gang of eco-warriors on my hands now

[Debd]

Hi,
Yes NZ houses seem to come with loads of built in cupboards and wardrobes, so glad we left our wardrobes behind.
We brought our 3 seater sofa with us, (big bag), and it was soiled but it wasn't wrapped very well, if at all! You can buy all those here for about the same price.
Baby equipment is easily obtained too, we brought our baby seats with us and all their toys.
As for appliances, we eneded up leaving our washing machine behind along with the fridge...we weren't too sure if we'd done the right thing but we had as we got better re-conditioned ones here for less money. We brought just about everything else and I'm glad we did.
All the best

[Rooikoppie]

Thanks for all the info. We really like our tent so its good to know that if you clean it properly we can bring it. What did you use to clean with? Miltons or dettol? and did you clean all the camping gear as well?

If there any south africans over there tell me if its worth bringing a cadac skottel braai? We brought it to the UK and had to buy another connection in order to use it and someone said it was'nt worth bringing to NZ. Any ideas why?

I also have a wheat intolerance, so I would be interested in what flour is available for baking cakes as well as bread. I can get gluten free flour and spelt bread flour here in the UK, which is fairly easy to adapt to recipes. There is also a huge range of gluten free products, which I am sure has spoilt me for choice.

[Glenda]

You can get gluten-free flour here quite easily. There is not the wide range of gluten-free products that you get in the UK though. In fact, I am having trouble remembering anything other than the flour. You might have to get a bread-maker. I do know that at some cafes they do sell gluten-free muffins!

[kokopeli]

if its worth bringing a cadac skottel braai

We brought a Cadac Carri Chef from the UK and it's just the best gas bbq we've ever found. Give it a good scrub with bleach and you'll be fine.

I don't think you'll be allowed to ship LPG bottles in a container, so you'll have to buy new ones and maybe a new regulator and a couple of fittings. We took ours to a local 'Gas Man' depot who sorted it for a few dollars. Most fittings are pretty standard, but you could always buy a spare connector for the 'Cadac end' and bring it with you.

In the UK, it's common to exchange empty LPG bottles for full ones when they run out. In NZ, you actually buy the bottle and get it refilled. I think we paid about $60 for a 9kg bottle and $25 for a refill.