Van life hacks: Getting your mail
It’s been 11 weeks since we set off on this year-long adventure and we are adoring every single moment. That being said, there’s been a lot of stuff that we have had to figure out along the way, so we have decided to put together a series of helpful hints for anyone considering living out on the road.
Mail. You might not think you need worry about this in the digital world, but you’d be wrong. Things like new credit cards are still sent out in the mail, and what about stuff you might need to buy online? Not to mention the gleeful feeling that receiving a hand-written letter or card can give you. So, if you’re a modern-day nomad, wandering the verdant isles of New Zealand, how can you still get mail without an address?
Get it sent to a friend/family member
If you want to collect your mail, this can work well for folks that either keep their travel within a set area or extremely popular people. If you have a reliable contact near to where you will be, then this is a great option. It’s only limited by the number of people you know in the areas you travel in.
Alternatively, if you’re moving around more and the person receiving your mail is reliable and awesome, they can send it on to you using one of the below options.
Counter Delivery
If you know you’re going to be in a specific region for up to three months, then you can use NZ Post’s counter delivery service. This essentially means one Post Shop can become your short-term mailing address and you can have all mail (both letters, parcels and courier-delivered items) sent there.
The positives are that you can use this for up to three months, and any mail sent via the NZ Post network is eligible for this service. It also appears to be free. The downsides are that not all post shop outlets provide this service. To see if your local Post Shop does, check here and look for “Counter Delivery” in the list of services, or call up your local Post Shop and just ask. Make sure the Post Shop you’re sending stuff to knows before you intend to use it, or your delivery may not be accepted.
Poste Restante
If you’re not in one location long enough for Counter Delivery to work, then you can use Poste Restante. It is technically intended for tourists, but can easily be used by those of us who are travelling full-time or for long periods of time. There’s a list of applicable locations on the NZ Post website at the link. You can ask the sender to address the letter/parcel in the form below, then you can collect it from the counter upon production of your photo ID.
The form required is:
Your Name (POSTE RESTANTE)
Name of Post Shop
Post Shop Street Address
Town, Postcode
NEW ZEALAND
The positives are this is a flexible and easy option that requires no set up in advance, and if you’re good at time management, it’s free. You have seven days from the time of delivery to collect your item. Furthermore, if you miss the window of delivery, you can have your mail redirected from one Poste Restante location to another BUT this will cost you $7 and require you to go to a Poste Restante location with photo ID to fill in a form (which is not available online), which is an immense pain in the rear end. Use wisely. Another downside is that if the sender does not include the words “poste restante” next to your name as above, things get murky.
Care of Post Office
Most post offices are run by helpful, lovely people who care about you receiving your mail, and so will happily allow you to collect any mail (letter or parcel) that is addressed “Care of” their Post Shop location. However, some do not, and are particularly and peculiarly inflexible about this whole thing. If you’d like to send something in this fashion, call ahead to the Post Shop you plan to use and check this is OK. It’s like the informal version of counter delivery/poste restante - possible but not official. Especially if you’re using Motueka Post Shop.
Parcel Collection
If you have something more significant you’d like delivered to you, you can use NZ Post’s Parcel Collect. This allows you to set up any number of applicable locations (see link to find one near you) to be your personal collection points. They are usually Post Shops, Z service stations or Countdown supermarkets. Set up and collection is free, but you have to make sure that the person/company sending your parcel uses the NZ Post network (this includes CourierPost). Parcels sent by other courier or postal services won’t be accepted - but that’s not really a major as you can just use the Care Of/Counter Delivery/Poste Restante options for other courier companies.
Private Box mail service
If you don’t have someone you can rely on to receive, keep and redirect your mail, or you don’t like to impose, you might like to consider using a service such as Private Box. For $12.50 per 30 days, you and two other named individuals can get all your mail sent to one set address. This can either be a physical address or a PO Box, depending on your needs. Keep in mind that to administratively “exist” in the eyes of the government, it’s sometimes necessary to have a physical address.
For additional charges, you can also have your mail scanned to email, or forwarded to you using one of the above options (counter delivery etc). You can also collect it from Private Box branches or participating Pack and Send locations across the country. Undeniably more expensive than the other options, but a good option for those living on the road long-term. For those of us who are NZMCA members, there is a 25% discount if you apply using this form on their website.
I hope you find this information useful! Thanks to John and Lorraine van Stipriaan for telling me about the Private Box option.
