Moving to Wellington!
In late July/early August 2024 we visited several places in Australia and New Zealand to determine where we’d like to live for the next few years. We had made the decision to leave the US and we wanted to experience what it was like to live in other countries.
We had originally been looking at Europe, Portugal in particular, but had decided against that. Eventually you’ll be able to read more about why we made that decision here (but I haven’t written that post yet!)
We were now looking at Oceania. This was a part of the World that we hadn’t spent a lot of time in and we were interested in learning more.
We visited Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Wellington. While each of these locations had their pros and cons, we decided on Wellington!
The process of moving to Wellington started well before our plane flight on January 1, 2025. Once the decision was made to move to Wellington, we researched areas to live, available apartments, visa options and timing, what to bring over with us and tons of other little things!
Having only been to the Wellington area once, for less than a week, we decided the best area to live would be near the Wellington Central Business District (CBD). Since we have been here, and we know how well the transportation system works, our potential living area would be wider were we to do this research today.
The next major decision was choosing an apartment. We were not bringing any of our own furniture, so we decided that a furnished apartment would be the best option. We found Hi-Atlas a mid-term rental agency that specialized in furnished rentals and chose a 2-bedroom apartment in easy walking distance to the CBD, the waterfront, and shopping.
Researching Visas was another important step. Obtaining a work visa was not an option for us due to our age and New Zealand doesn’t have a Golden Visa (at least not one that we could afford). We had a zoom call with a Visa Consultant to discuss options and the recommendation was to apply for a 6-month multi-entry visitor visa, then possibly try to extend it to 9 months. We were granted the 6 month multi-entry visa and can stay in NZ for 6 months out of each year for the next 3 years. We then applied to Australia for a 6 month multi-entry visa.
And so begins our nomadic lifestyle, 6 months in New Zealand and 6 months in Australia or elsewhere! Click here to read more about my first 3 months in Wellington.
Journey's Everything 
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