Coastline Conservation Volunteering in New Zealand

This was my first time traveling alone to another country. I had so many concerns and second guessing my decision right up until departure. I will be 70 this year and was very concerned I wouldn’t fit in or keep up with the rest of the team. This concern was brief. After meeting my team mates at the hostel and getting settled it was easy to talk with everyone, all different backgrounds, countries, ages, languages and genders. We shared a room with bunkbeds, we made meals together, excursions together and worked together. We did things independently and one on one. The program was amazing. It felt like we were contributing and making a small difference in coastline conservation and education. Our local coordinators were very professional and well educated as well as passionate. They were supportive and I always felt safe, seen and heard. It was a privilege to participate and look forward to another experience in the near future. I feel like I’ve made life long friends in the process.

My IVHQ Program Manager was very helpful! The local team was also wonderful and welcoming, knowledgeable and fun! I had a great experience working with them! I learned a lot about waste and the importance of keeping our oceans clean. It was inspiring to work alongside people who are passionate about sustainability. I was very nervous before participating in this program (I had never traveled solo or volunteered abroad before). From day 1 I knew I had made the right decision going to New Zealand with IVHQ. The local team is so welcoming, knowledgeable, and fun and I had a great time getting to know the other volunteers. I definitely recommend this program!

The local team were absolutely professional, welcoming, caring, supportive and wonderfully fun! We were issued with detailed schedules every two weeks, with instructions on how to reach our destination. We learned so much about ‘Sustainability’ in every sense of the word. We could see the positive care and impact this team was making, through information sharing in schools, businesses and the local community. The work at times was quite hard, but rewarding. I was proud to be part of the team and volunteers. This team has set a bar for me, and given me a positive reason as to why I could confidently go to another destination in the world, and expect any other team to set the same high standards. Volunteering in this way, gave me a much better understanding of how different thicknesses of plastics impacted on the environment and how both could be recycled (some having more positive uses than others).. Knowing, seeing, and helping to remove, bottles, glass and all kinds of waste from in and around the environment, I was making a positive impact. Locals who saw and asked what we were doing, would thank us which was appreciative and nice to hear. Although I was not completely ignorant about this area. I gained a great learning and understanding of sustainability. I met many people of different cultures and made some lovely friends. If you are given the same professional, kind and respectful treatment, with lots of shared knowledge (with fun times thrown in), you will have no reason for hesitation about joining this program. Just a great happy experience!