ISV - Volunteer Projects in New Zealand

This summer I traveled to New Zealand for four weeks to volunteer and experience much of what the country has to offer. The trip was even better than expected as we hit many of the major sites and cities in the country, but mostly because of the project I was assigned. For the first two weeks I lived on a Maraea belonging to a local Maori family. I learned so much about their customs and culture that I know I will carry with me back home in the US.

For my volunteer project, I spent two weeks planting manuka trees on the land surrounding the maraea in order to improve the water quality in the rivers and streams. After two weeks, I began the adventure tour and was able to participate in activities like white water rafting, black water rafting, and touring Hobbiton. Black Water Rafting was easily my favorite adventure activity because I was able to conquer my fears and climb waterfalls and repel down a 16-story shaft into the caves.

I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone wishing to experience New Zealand. It is one of the most beautiful countries and has a lot to offer. Personally, I made friends that I know I will have for the rest of my life. This program is what you make of it individually, and because I went into it with an open mind, I know that I made the most of my month in New Zealand.

Howdy!
This past summer 2016, i went to New Zealand with ISV. 2 weeks of volunteering and 2 weeks of touring the country! In the first 2 weeks my group and I went to a maori farm and lived there- no power, no internet, no problem! These 2 weeks were the best part of the trip, we all learned how to live sustainably while also being immersed into maori culture. The actual volunteer part was planting manuka trees on the hills, the point of this was to provide a better filtered water for future generations. Although the work was hard, it was the best part of the trip. Now the second 2 weeks was jammed pack with fun. From Aukland, we flew down to queenstown where i went bungee jumping, horseback riding, and exploring the town itself! Next stop was franz josef, a small town with extreme adrenaline- here you can do the highest tandem skydive at 19000 feet or take a tour of the franz josef glacier. You can also go to a kiwi experience where you can see two actual kiwis! From here, kaikoura was the next stop! Kaikoura is the marine wildlife capital of NZ. You can go whale watching, swim with dolphins, and fishing. If you can come here in the winter you can visit a natural seal colony and see seal pups play upstream in a waterfall. After, wellington is the next stop! here we went to te papa musuem. There are loads to do in wellington, I suggest cuban street- so many great restaurants and bars! The next stop was Rotorua, here we went to a polynesian spa, white water rafting on level 5 rapids (7 m waterfall!), and did OGO (THIS WAS SO FUN!!!). Our last stop before heading back to the US was the small town of waitomo. This town is known for their glo worm caves.
Volunteering with ISV led me to some experiences I would've probably never done myself. Although the adventure tour was crazy fun, the first two weeks of being on the farm, planting trees, and living off the grid was the best part of the trip!

I'm afraid of heights. Deathly afraid. I can't dive and I hate being anything but right side up. So, logically, I went bungy jumping. I did the highest jump in New Zealand, the 134 meter Nevis bungy- that's an 8 1/2 second freefall, folks- and I didn't hesitate for a second.
Of course, the surge of adrenaline and the celebratory post-bungy Fergburger really made that particular experience memorable, but the jump really marked a turning point in my entire ISV experience. The pride I felt in myself not only encompassed the fact that I had overcome some of my greatest fears, but it also made me realize that I had more to be proud of: the volunteer work that my fellow students and I had done in Northland. My group planted 11 1/2 thousand manuka plants in the span of two weeks, shattering the previous record of 9 1/2 thousand. I am proud because the work we did will have a definite positive impact on the local environment; the manuka we planted will help purify the waterways, and it's pioneering property will help ensure the continuation of the practice of sustainable forestry. The work we did may also have a noted social impact, and will one day help to create jobs in a notably poor part of the country.
As my pride grew, so did my appreciation of those with whom I had worked grow. During my entire experience with ISV, I found the staff to be extremely obliging, helpful, and understanding. They answered all of my questions by email or phone. Additionally, the payment method was simple, and the information provided by ISV was very clear. The project leaders and adventure tour leader made sure that we were safe and happy, and rally took the time to get to know us. The entire experience was very well organized, and I never felt unsafe.
The grates souvenirs that brought back from New Zealand, however, are the friends that I made. I truly believe that we will be friendsfor life- we are already planning our own trips together- and I left New Zealand grateful that I'd been able to make my own, small, positive impact on the country, and mindful of my personal impact as a tourist on my host country.
My experience with ISV was truly and undeniably incredible. It was worth every penny. My admiration for New Zealand and its culture has grown immensely, and I'm sure that I will return, if not as a visitor, then as a resident.
Kia ora.

The best part of my trip was the people with whom I was grouped. None of us were particularly involved in environmental efforts before the trip and we all said at one point or another that this was not the type of trip we would normally sign up for. Yet, we had all signed up, we were all there, and we were making the absolute most of our time there. I was so impressed with the way that we all came together to complete tasks, the way that everyone gave their best effort every day, and the way that we were able to support each other during the trip and after. We became a sort of family, which is something I never expected.

I was shocked at how invested I became in New Zealand's flora. I learned more about the native plants of New Zealand than I know about plants in my own state back home and I started to care for them almost the way you would for a pet. I became concerned about their safety and got excited when I saw one out in nature. I also became really interested and invested in the culture of the Maori people, the native people of New Zealand. I hope that this attitude will continue to grow in me and that it will be a lasting, positive change.

Lastly, you could not ask for better adventure activities than the ones that ISV has planned for their groups. I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so the opportunity to do OGO, Black Water Rafting, and Bungee (yes "bungee", not "bungy") Jumping was a definite highlight of my trip. If you aren't quite as keen to do those things, though, they have plenty of other activities that you're sure to enjoy, like Hobbiton and Whale Watching.

Overall, I really enjoyed and highly recommend this trip.

(If I were to do it again, though, I would make more of an effort to fundraise. If people are unsure why they should donate money to this trip, tell them that a majority of New Zealand's unique habitat has been destroyed and that restoring it is crucial to ensuring that we continue to have clean water and diversity in nature. Any trip that you are a part of in New Zealand will be working toward these goals by planting trees, building fences, cutting down invasive species, educating the public, or building habitats for native bird species.)

ISV has helped me grow so much as an individual. In New Zealand I was the opportunity to stay with an amazing host family that taught me all about their land and culture. I fell in love with it and them! All of the people I met, things I have learned, and things I experienced on this trip are something that I will truly treasure (taonga) for the rest of my life. From planting 12,000 trees to embracing a feeling of euphoria by bungy jumping from the Kawarau Bridge, the world's first bungy site. New Zealand was a life changing experience for me and I will miss it so so much.

It's hard to even put into words everything that the ISV program has done for me. I had super high expectations for this trip: I was going to feel good about giving back to a community, explore all of New Zealand, and find myself along the way. This trip exceeded my expectations by far! I have never been so carefree happy in my entire life. I got to work on an awesome project restoring an island by planting trees, weeding, seed collecting, beach cleanup, monitoring rare New Zealand animals, and even more. Nothing was more rewarding than those two weeks. And then to go explore the country from south to north seeing everything that New Zealand has to offer. Every time I turned my head it was another perfect screen saver image. Then to not only be able to give back and explore, but genuinely learn the culture as we went too was something you don’t always necessarily get abroad. But the best part about the entire trip was the people I got to meet along the way. My project leader and adventure tour leader were truly amazing. They were both so kind and caring, made me feel safe the entire time, and taught me so much. And the team I worked with volunteering, they’re such great people and I know I made lifelong friendships with them. I indeed felt like I made a family by the end of that month, my whanau. I know I couldn’t have gotten this experience with any other program; I didn’t want it to come to an end. I recommend this program to every student! It’s honestly one of the best experiences and completely worthwhile. I just want to thank ISV for everything they have done. I appreciate it greatly for giving me the opportunity to have the best life changing experience I ever could’ve imagined. I would travel with them every summer if I could.

It is hard to even begin to summarize my experience because I think every aspect of it was truly amazing. I have never left the North American continent, so heading over to New Zealand was a big trip for me. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I loved being there. We had a random day off in Auckland which does not normally happen, but I was glad because I did not go on the Adventure Tour and had a chance to explore an urban part of New Zealand. I would recommend going on the adventure because everyone I know who did had a really great time, but I was perfectly okay with just volunteering. I, personally, wanted to go to New Zealand for the purpose of volunteering.

Most of our time was spent on the marae. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. It was such a treat to wake up in the morning and be in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

The work was totally fine. Leaders were accommodating to each person's individual ability and it truly was not that difficult of a task. After the first day or so you get the hang of it and you move right along. It is really nothing to be worried about and it helps knowing that you are planting trees for a purpose. I cannot lie and say I loved every second of planting, but on the whole, I did enjoy doing it especially because it was going to make a difference in the environment and in the lives of the people who lived there. There are also a few off days, which were great for exploring. One off day we went on a hike and the other one was spent in a town called Paihia doing a variety of things.

I enjoyed doing the chores we had to do because I learned a few skills in the kitchen and how to maintain a fire. We were separated into groups and rotated chores daily (chores did not take very long to do and were never hard). There is a huge sense of learning to rely on other people and community through this. Food was always really good, sleeping arrangements were interesting (because it is basically a massive sleepover for two weeks- everyone is in the same room. I would not have wanted it any other way.), and bathroom facilities were great. There is no electricity, but a generator is used at night for dinner until bed and then turned on in the morning to wake everyone up and to make breakfast (lunch was packed for the workday at breakfast-time, but don't worry-snacks were available during downtimes). You will definitely need a good flashlight.

I live in a city, so going out into rural New Zealand and living on a farm for two weeks was an incredibly enlightening experience. I especially loved the farm dogs.

But not only were we planting trees to better the environment, the experiences we had helped us better ourselves. I learned so much about Maori culture and the family whose land we were living on are probably the nicest people I have ever met. They were all so welcoming and made you feel right at home. Take advantage of after-work tea time.

I was fully immersed into a situation I had never, in the slightest, been in before, and it was the best decision I ever made.

My month in New Zealand changed the way I will think and act for the rest of my life! Not only did I learn so much about environmental, economic, and social sustainability, but I also had the chance to live with and learn from the Maori people. The educative opportunities I had during the first two weeks have provided me with a new outlook and a new idea of what I want in life. The love and respect I felt from the hosts, leaders, and my group will always remain with me and the bond that I have with them is irreplaceable. Kaitoki NZ is a life changing place!
The adventure tour provided me with even more incredible memories and experiences! By constantly pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, I have never felt stronger or more alive. And being able to do it all with new friends was great!