ISV - Volunteer Projects in New Zealand

Isv- all about safety, they said, while finding our way through the wood covered, muddy, wet steep hills. It wasn't dangerous, but imagine our sarcasm!

Noty only provided ISV a great learning enironment, they also gave us a life among a Maori family to teach us more about cultural identity, tradition and the ancient thoughts on nature, the earth, our modern way of living and travelling as a grest way to safely explore the world without doing it any damage.

Highly recommended expierence both mentally, physically and on a conscious enviromental level ad well as culturally.

And... Thank you for being here, reading comments/revieuws to be inspired, but now it is time for YOU to inspire us. Go out there and have a great time while doing great work!

This was my second trip through ISV and it was absolutely amazing! I was able to get hands on experience doing things I learn about at my university as well as gain knowledge on certain things that I probably would not have learned sitting in a classroom. I always felt welcomed and accepted by all of the other volunteers and the staff. The work was hard but definitely rewarded and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Completely life changing! I would recommend this to anyone who loves to travel and volunteer!

ISV is an amazing program that changed my life. You work towards sustainability goals on a conservation project making lifelong friends. Then you travel the whole country with these amazing people doing crazy thrill-seeking adventures. The volunteering is fun and then you do crazy once-in-a-lifetime things like skydiving from 19,000 feet, Bungy jumping at the first place in the world, and Zorbing down a hillside. Plus you see sights that even a camera cannot capture. It really is a win-win situation. You make a difference in the world, and you gain some unforgettable friends and memories!

When I received word that I would get to spend my project time at Penguin Place conservation reserve, I was over-the-moon excited! This was my second ISV trip, and although I signed up for 2 consecutive trips, I was even more excited the second time around.
New Zealand has always been on my list of places to visit, not just because of its Lord of the Rings appeal, but because of the uniqueness of its geography and species. All throughout the 4-week program, we learned about the history of the islands and their inhabitants, and how humans impacted the flora and fauna, and vice versa.

We got to plan and make our own meals and run our self-contained lodge, under the superb guidance of our project leader, Val. Out of the 10 of us participants in that section, we were from a whopping 6 different countries! Talk about perspective! Not only did we have our scheduled educational sessions about environmental issues, but we would often talk until late about ourselves and how our countries are handling current world situations. It was incredibly eye-opening. I have never felt more at home, while away from home.
The Penguin Place reserve itself is simply stunning. Not everyone gets to work by the Pacific Ocean, recreating habitat for the most endangered penguin species in the world. I consider myself very fortunate to have been placed there, with the group that became a second family to me. Our work was often hard, but extremely rewarding. How could one not want to create a more hospitable landscape for those adorable yellow-eyed penguins? We played games in the morning to warm up; often laughing until we were out of breath. We learned our Māori phrases of the day and tried to use them as often as we could. Waking up every day in Dunedin was like waking up in a travel magazine; it couldn’t have been more beautiful! So it was with heavy hearts we said our goodbyes, but with the hope that we would one day return to a healthier penguin population, and to reconnect with the land we got to know so well.

Fortunately, our adrenaline adventures were just beginning, and I have to say that this adventure tour was better than my first! Our tour leader, Meg, was so fun to be around, and she provided us with really great learning opportunities about local history and culture in every place we visited. From start to finish, the 2 weeks we spent touring New Zealand were filled with unparalleled thrills, amazing cultural experiences, the most spectacular scenery, and enough laughing to make our bellies ache. Yes, we spent a lot of money. A lot. But in my eyes, not doing so and missing out on the fantastic opportunities at our fingertips, would have been a real shame. I figured, you can always work to make more money, but you may never be able to recreate those moments.
My advice: prepare to spend lots of cash. Be open minded about all the new things you could experience. Do not pack a lot of shirts, since you will get lots there. Bring a camera/GoPro with lots of storage space and backup cards. Pack warm clothes. Do not hold back; just do it.

This trip changed my way of looking at the world. Living with a Maori family, keeping yourself warm by the fireplace, no wifi, lack of signal, a generator that forces us to have a candlelight breakfast. And then there's the Manuka trees we had to plant. Steep up the hills for the greater good. We did something special to restore the native bush in New Zealand- together. ISV projects provided us with responsible tourism knowlegde that changed our whole life during these four volunteer and adventure tour weeks. ISV. Thank you as.

Honestly, traveling to NZ with ISV was the best decision of my life so far. I have been to many countries with many different programs and also with my family and there was never a moment where I was unhappy in those 4 weeks. I made life-long friends who I instantly clicked with (and that's not super common for me). We called each other "whanau", which means family in Maori. We became a family from sitting every morning, afternoon, and night together sharing meals. We became a family by sharing the hard work we did for 2 weeks on Motuihe Island; I never enjoyed planting trees and track maintenance more in my life just because of the people I got to do it with. I did things I never would have done without their encouragement and lust for adventure (I went skydiving 19,000 feet AND bungee jumping!). We encouraged each other and supported each other and it made the trip a once-in-a-lifetime travel adventure. I love all of them and we still keep in contact :) . I thought the conservation work would suck but our leader and mom, Laura, made it something important and enjoyable, and I learned so much from our discussions in Top House (volunteer house) about our planet and what to do to make it a better place for the generations to come.

Also, NZ is the most beautiful and unique place in the world. The island we stayed on, Motuihe, is growing into what NZ looked like before immigrants ever touched it (which means no mammals!). I honestly cannot pick a favorite place. I fell in love with Motuihe and it's beaches and forests and kiwi birds and tuataras. I loved ever second of the Adventure Tour and I absolutely adored our leader Meg. Every second was filled with adventure and admiration for the beauty that I was surrounded with. We were so spoiled! Everything looks like it is out of a National Geographic magazine. It is the perfect place for someone who loves nature and adventure. It definitely makes you more independent and even though my iPhone broke a week and a half in, it wasn't even a big deal cause all the people I needed I was already surrounded with. I have no regrets from taking this trip. I just wish it could have gone on longer!

It's great for people who have never been out of the country because we do have structure and activities planned out for us, but you also get to explore the cities on your own or with friends and that's great too! It's great for anyone who loves travel and adventure. I fell in love and I wish I didn't have to come home. Never take a moment for granted and live in the moment! Get outside your comfort zone and fall in love with the most beautiful and unique place on Earth! I miss it everyday.

This trip that I took last summer was amazing, it was life changing. The first two weeks we spent volunteering, planting trees and although we woke up super early it was worth it. When the two weeks were over I had felt so accomplished we all the work we had done. The next two weeks were just as amazing filled with black water rafting, white river rafting, whale watching, visiting Hobbition, OGOing, and so on. These are experiences I've never forget, I made friends with so many new people that I still talk to. I fell in love with New Zealand because of this program and New Zealand beauty.

I had originally decided not to volunteer or study abroad during college, however, when I found out I could go back to New Zealand for a month to work on environment conservation projects and explore the country I immediately changed my mind. I travelled to New Zealand with my family in 2007 and fell in love. Travelling with ISV was a great way for me to reconnect with the country. During the first two weeks I lived in a house on Motuihe Island with eight other volunteers and our leader. We completed the entire conservation process from collecting seeds, planting them, weeding the nursery, and finally planting them back in the fields and forests. We also used motion sensor cameras to track kiwi on the island in order to try to calculate their locations as well as any increase in their population. On various evenings our leader lead talks about climate change, sustainability, and conservation. This two weeks was a great opportunity to learn about our impact on the island and bond with the other volunteers.

The second two weeks was an absolute blast. I was able to repeat some of my favorite activities like the shotover jet and seeing the glow worm caves as well as experience new ones. My favorite day involved white water rafting, zorbing, and visiting the Tamaki Maori Village. On our free days, there were always suggestions about other activities to do or things to see.