Morning: A typical morning, depending on what type of group was on site at Lake Taupo Christian Camp would involve: instructing high ropes, low ropes, initiatives, rock wall, or abseiling if the group was a school group. If the group was a conference group or a retreat for adults then our volunteer jobs would range from helping the kitchen staff to helping the hosting department which would involve making sure the groups were comfortable and had their morning tea at the appropriate times. When there were no groups on site we would often be doing housekeeping, which obviously involved the cleaning of all the motel-like units as well as the larger lodges. We also did a range of grounds work that included weeding, racking leaves, and the general upkeep of the camp.
Afternoon: A typical afternoon, again depending on the groups, could range from a continuation of the morning actives such as high ropes, etc. or the kids could change activities and do archery, slug guns, BMX bikes, paintball, and putt putt. With adult groups we would continue our work with the kitchen staff as well as help set up the dining room for dinner and work in the dish room washing dishes during dinner.
Evening: An evening at Lake Taupo could consist of many different things. The camp staff was a very tight knit group so we (myself and the three other overseas volunteers I lived and worked with) spent a lot of time hanging out together and becoming a part of their camp family. When we weren’t spending quality time with the camp staff we often went into town (Taupo) to go to a local gym to swim or just to have dinner with friends. Taupo was about a 30-minute drive from our camp so it was really helpful to have purchased a car while in New Zealand.
Highlights: The highlight of my volunteer experience in New Zealand would have to be meeting all the amazing people that I was fortunate enough to meet. I learned so much about these people and their culture that it has become a part of me. This experience completely changed my life and opened my eyes to so many new and exciting things I would have never known otherwise. I learned to push my limits, to allow others to be in control, as well as some really important life skills. To go to another country to volunteer already speaks volumes about a person, but to go in expecting nothing and allowing a single trip to turn your world upside down is something that not many people in this world get to experience.
My overall highlight from New Zealand would be the travel time that I spent with other volunteers from all over the world who were a part of the same organization as myself. We spent about three weeks traveling and getting to see parts of this world that we had never dreamt of seeing. Not only did we get to see some breathtaking views we also pushed our own personal limits and did things such as skydiving, bungee jumping, and cliff jumping. The time that I spent with these amazing people is time that I will cherish for the rest of my life.