Buying a Car in New Zealand

Buying a used car in Auckland is a unique experience. You could go to a Used Car Dealer like at home but you can also go to a Car Fair. Every Sunday in Auckland, sellers set up their cars in the parking lot of horse race track to sell their vehicles. It's well organized and for a fee of $140 there are mechanics on site to inspect cars on behalf of the buyers. You can also complete vehicle history checks to ensure the car isn't stolen.

The four of us went to the fair on Sunday, the day after we arrived. After shopping around we test drove two vehicles. Siena wanted a turquoise minivan that had 300 000 plus kilometres. Instead, we purchased this 2005 "7 seater" with 160 000 kms.

It's called a Toyota Stream. Most of the cars are imported from Japan. We're not sure what type of vehicle it is. It's not tall enough to be a minivan or SUV, but it's definitely not a car. After purchasing it, I realized that it most resembles a taller station wagon! 😝 It's safe and allows us to get around to wonderful places, like North Head.

North Head is a tall hill used in WW II as a fort or lookout with canons. It's a 30 minute walk from our home. Now it provides great views of Devonport and Auckland for dog walkers, tourists and runners.

I came across this picture of Siena sleeping on the plane to NZ. She was sprawled out and had "a great sleep". Notice where her foot is!

Yesterday we walked up to Belmont Primary and Intermediate Schools to check them out. No one was there since it's school holidays. Both schools look lovely. The primary school looks better for younger grades and will suit Siena well. Jonah is suppose to start at the Intermediate School so we're wrapping our heads around Siena and Jonah going to different schools (basically beside each other). The Intermediate School is far better suited to Jonah. It's facilities are geared towards Jonahs strengths.