ISV - Volunteer Projects in New Zealand

Going to New Zealand was a very surreal experience. When I first arrived, our group came to a small town in the bush (forest) and it felt almost as if I were in pre-historic times. The trees and leaves are so much bigger than I was used to coming from the United States. It was absolutely gorgeous. Over the course of a month we were able to travel all over the north and the south island, to large cities like Wellington and to small towns like Rotoorangi. The first portion of our trip 35 of us planted over 4 thousand native trees which was to help return the land to it's natural habitat and rebuild the bird population. The next two weeks was packed full of adventure, from 8 hours of glacier hiking to 8 hours of glow worm cave exploration. The lay-out of the islands makes it easy to be close to water and the weather year around is great, staying around 55° even in the winter. Of course if you travel from the north to the south island you will find it gets much colder the closer you get to the southern Alpe mountains which are covered in lush white show that is often used by snowboarders and skiers. We were given a chance to visit a Maori house and church and to perform and be preformed for. It was a great experience to learn the culture and meet with naive Maori people. I also really enjoyed our instructors and our leaders. They all had great energy and were a lot if fun.

When I found out about this program, I was beyond excited. Going across the world to explore new cultures and areas, all while helping the environment? Sign me up.

This experience will always hold a huge place in my heart. Through ISV, I managed to conquer my fears in more ways than one, all while having the greatest time of my life. I will never forget the way I felt bungee-jumping off the Kawarau Bridge, which was the absolute high-light of my trip. I will never forget looking up at the night sky and seeing the Milky Way light up above me. I will never forget the friendships I've made or the memories we created with each other.

This experience was more than I had ever imagined. The adventure tour was amazing and thrilling, yes, but the most unique part of this program is the volunteer portion. I learned so much about myself in those two weeks. It was like a new part of me bloomed into someone I never thought I could be, in a good way of course. This program makes you feel so empowered, no matter who you are or where you come from.

ISV is such an incredible program, and I wish everyone could have the chance to participate in it. The staff and team leaders are so incredibly helpful and kind towards you and make you feel at home. Although it is a little pricey, it is still well worth it. The experiences and memories I've gained from this program mean so much to me, even six months after completing it! I would happily participate in ISV again in a heartbeat.

Going to New Zealand through ISV changed my life more than I could have ever imagined. It was amazing being a part of a project so meaningful along side so many passionate people. I was able to meet new people who shared goals, passions and interests similar to mine. Experiencing different and exciting new things with my new friends, was something I will never forget and I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything. You get on a plane and expect everything to be scary, and don't get me wrong, it is, but in the most beautiful and spectacular way. You find ways to leave your comfort zone and you learn new things about yourself that you wouldn't have at home. I got to spend two weeks living my dream to rebuild habitats for endangered animals and got to learn about sustainable development hands on. I went bungee jumping, saw hobbit houses, climbed up a waterfall, hiked to destinations I had only dreamt about, learned about a new culture and made friends & memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. If you have the chance to and want to volunteer abroad, ISV has everything a person could ask for. Adventure. Passion. Education. Impact your world with ISV. You won't regret it.

New Zealand is honestly the most beautiful place with the kindest people I've ever encountered. No matter how big your expectations are of this place, they will always be surpassed and you will be floored by the majesty of the landscape and the variety of species that are unique to New Zealand. I would highly recommend seeing the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. The vast number of glow worms will make you feel so small under a blanket of a million blue stars.

If you have the chance and the means to volunteer abroad, New Zealand will not make you regret doing so. It's really the best thing you can do for yourself.

I loved this trip so much. Definitely recommend it to anyone. The only problem I had was with the staff on the additional 2 week excursion part. I had an allergic reaction to something, but she did not want me going to the clinic because I would miss an activity (even though it was necessary) and she did not keep it private. Otherwise it was an increible trip.

I had an amazing experience with ISV and looking back, I would say has it definitely sparked my interest in travel, as I have travelled alone or with others every year since. Our 3 ISV group leaders were AMAZING as well as the program coordinator/bus driver/everything man! We spent two weeks doing environmental conversation (planting trees, weeding, monitoring local pests, track building) and I really liked getting my hands dirty! It was so interesting to learn about the Maori culture as well, that feels like a total privilege. We were welcomed to the local Maori community and learned about their history.

What initially drew my into this trip was the adventure tour especially since I am an adrenaline junkie. NZ is THE place for extreme sports from skydiving to bungy jumping to jet-boating. The black water rafting is such a unique and amazing experience. Thinking back though, I totally loved everything about this program. ISV is a great company because they really care about giving you the best learning opportunity possible as well as all the cool extras on the adventure tour. They will always make sure you have options if something is cancelled due to bad weather. They give you plenty of tips about where to go, but you don't always have to stick together as a group and are free to choose where you spend your free time, although they will always have suggestions for you and point you to the local tourist point for info. They encourage you to keep a journal, which you should definitely do throughout the whole stay. I did in detail and that was great because you don't remember all the interesting stuff you learn about the culture otherwise.

This experience has opened my eyes to different ways in which I can be involved in volunteering and also what concrete things I can do to play my part in helping the environment. Making us aware and helping us plan and apply sustainable development and responsible tourism was included in my ISV program. I made friends and I realized the importance of finding work that is meaningful to me. I will go back to New Zealand for sure, I would love to spend some time working there as well. This was a very new experience for me, as I tend to be somewhat reserved, but this trip is all about teamwork so I loved meeting people and I also loved the idea of doing something new and exciting everyday!

I started my 4 week adventure by spending 2 weeks on the coast of the otago peninsula in the south island of New Zealand preserving the yellow eyed penguin habitat. We were placed with our host smack dab in the culture, and we learned so much by living in the culture that I will never forget. They placed us with locals who showed us around the city and all told us a bunch of New Zealand knowledge. The 2 weeks volunteering were actually really fun! It's real work so don't go in expecting to not do anything, or else everyone will be mad at you. We had to cook local dinners together, do dishes, travel, and do everything as a group. in short, you will get VERY close to everyone on your trip. Our hosts provided us with a ton of activities to do in our free time so we were never bored (How could you be in one of the most beautiful places on earth????) The worse part was saying goodbye to our hosts, who basically became family over the course of the stay. We had a group of 6 people but then we met up with about 20 for our adventure tour.

The adventure tour to this day, is still hands down the most fun I've ever had in my life. We started off in Queenstown, then went all the way back up to Auckland. I went bungee jumping at the first ever commercial spot to do so. We did activities like rafting, caving in gloworm caverns, bungee jumping, skydiving, zorbing, spa pools, seeing the Lord of the Rings film set, going to a native tribe, and much much more. There's so much adventure and excitement in this tour I couldn't even try to put it in a single review. Overall amazing experience, already planning my next one, I would recommend doing the same because spaces fill up quickly!

If you have a thirst for adventure and a desire to make a positive impact, then International Student Volunteers is the program for you. In just four short weeks I met some amazing students from all over the world, got to do volunteer work in a Paparoa National Park, and explore an entire country. Spending two weeks in a low key volunteer house working with some amazing people was such a fulfilling experience! The work we did was rewarding and enjoyable. The first two weeks of volunteer work were a great lead in to an adrenaline filled adventure tour. In just two weeks I jumped off the world's first commercial bungy bridge, white water rafted off of the highest commercial rafted drop in the world, repelled 11 stories into a cave, climbing up underground waterfalls, became a Hobbit for a day, and saw some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. This trip definitely was a once in a life-time opportunity. ISV is a great program if you're a first time traveler. They do all of the planning for you and make sure you're safe while you're overseas. All in all, ISV just provides a great international experience for its students.