plus65minus1
1°17′N SINGAPORE 41°17′S NEW ZEALAND

Hi, we're Estella & Gabriel. We had a pretty good thing going in Singapore, and we're leaving it anyway to build a house at the bottom of the world. Along the way we've been keeping the checklists, spreadsheets and guides that actually got us through the visas, the money, the house build and the goodbyes, and we're sharing all of it here, free, for anyone else doing the same slightly mad thing. Fair warning: some of our spreadsheet decisions were questionable at best.

Gabriel and Estella smiling by the beach
beach days
Gabriel and Estella by a sunny New Zealand lake
sunny lake
Gabriel and Estella taking a selfie by the water
south island notes
Gabriel and Estella outside a house in New Zealand
site visit
Gabriel and Estella hugging by a New Zealand lake
lake days
Gabriel and Estella sitting by a fence with green hills behind them
wide skies
Gabriel carrying Estella by a lake in New Zealand
lake laughs
Gabriel and Estella standing in golden grass
slow planning
Gabriel and Estella sitting by a New Zealand lake
south island lake
Gabriel and Estella at Castle Hill with sunlit hills behind them
castle hill
View from the road over a New Zealand lake
on the road
The route · resources by stage

Here are the resources we made while figuring things out ourselves. Hopefully they save you time, reduce a few tabs, and help you as much as they helped us.

Deciding & researching

The groundwork before you commit. Comparing cities, understanding visa pathways, and figuring out whether the numbers work for your household.

PostSheet
Why we chose Christchurch City comparison sheet
Coming soon Visa pathways checklist

Paperwork & admin

The unglamorous middle. Applying for your IRD number, getting documents notarised and couriered from overseas, and lining up a lawyer before you need one.

PostSheet
Coming soon IRD number from overseas
Coming soon Notarising docs in Singapore
Coming soon Questions to ask a NZ conveyancer

Land

Buying the ground it all sits on. Comparing sections, understanding titles and covenants, and getting through conveyancing and settlement from overseas.

PostSheet
Coming soon Section comparison spreadsheet
Coming soon Land purchase & settlement checklist
Coming soon Questions to ask a NZ conveyancer

Building

We're building a new home in Canterbury from 7,500 km away. Everything we've learned about contracts, appliance selection, heating rules and negotiating with builders, all done remotely.

PostSheet
Coming soon Appliance comparison template
Coming soon Heating decision checklist
Coming soon Remote build tracker

Money & moving

Transferring savings across borders, opening NZ bank accounts before you land, and deciding what's worth shipping versus rebuying.

PostSheet
Coming soon Ship it or skip it checklist

Settling in

The soft landing. First week errands, finding your people, and the things about Singapore we're packing into our hearts instead of boxes.

PostSheet
Things we'll miss about Singapore Just a post, no sheet for this one

Can't find what you need?

Most of these resources exist because someone asked for them. Tell us what would help you and we’ll add it to the route.

Request a resource