New Zealand and Australia Semester Program

Conservation volunteering, adventure education and travel through the North and South Islands of New Zealand, and East Coast of Australia

Escape winter for an amazing summer ‘down under’ on our experiential semester program combining challenging multi-day adventures, hands-on volunteer conservation work and insightful overland adventure travel through New Zealand and Australia.  This travel-study abroad semester or gap year program is suitable for students, graduates and non-students 18-25 years.

New Zealand and Australia Semester Program Highlights

New Zealand
• Volunteer conservation project 1: Bay of Islands Historic and Maritime Park - on spectacular Urupukapuka Island
• Expedition 1 – Waitomo: 5-day self-sufficient journey involving caving, rappelling, tramping (backpacking), canyoning and canoeing, from Waitomo to the Tasman Sea
• Soaking in natural hot springs
• Expedition 2 – Whanganui National Park: 5-day self-sufficient canoeing journey down the Whanganui River in New Zealand
• Enjoying culture in the friendly cities of Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Queenstown, Christchurch and Sydney
• Enjoying Wellington’s annual Waitangi Day ‘One Love’ roots music festival
• Wellington daytrip – New Zealand’s vibrant capital – Parliament tour, NZ’s National Museum, beaches and cafes
• Volunteer conservation project 2: Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park - on an island in beautiful glacier carved fjords
• Mountain biking in Nelson
• Volunteer conservation project 3: Nelson Lakes National Park - working amidst mountains, lakes and forest
• Traveling down the West Coast of the South Island – one of the top-ten road trips in the world – stopping overnight at Punakaiki and Okarito/Franz Josef Glacier with an eco-canoe trip on Okarito lagoon
• Queenstown – the worlds adventure capital and the birthplace of Bungy jumping
• Overnight trip to Milford Sound including sea-kayaking on the Fjord
Australia
• Expedition 3 – Fraser Island National Park: 3-day self-sufficient tramping (backpacking) trip on this island off Australia's Queensland coast
• Swimming in the most amazing freshwater lakes on Fraser Island
• Enjoying some serious beach time in Byron Bay
• Expedition 4 – Crescent Heads: 4-day surf camp learning to surf on Australia’s east coast
• Finish with time in fabulous Sydney - city culture, beaches, harbour
• Series of informal lectures from local conservation experts
• Very personalized small group experience (compare with other programs of up to 40 students)
• Fantastic New Zealand program leader/s

The program consists of:

1. Three week-long volunteer conservation projects in different areas of New Zealand, run in conjunction with the Department of Conservation (DOC), New Zealand’s pre-eminent conservation and resource management organization (the equivalent of the US Forest Service and National Park Service).  Project work may include species preservation and monitoring, controlling introduced pests, managing visitor impacts, trail building etc. Participants will get a hands-on introduction to strategies initiated to protect and care for these eco-systems and the plants and wildlife they contain.

2. Multi-day outdoor activities including a 4-day surfing camp, a 5-day canoeing journey, a 3-day backpacking trip and a 5-day multisport journey.  The purpose of these activities is to teach participants the hard-skills needed to overcome the natural challenges specific to each activity and more importantly to teach soft-skills, including lateral thinking, initiative, leadership, decision-making, and teamwork. Participants will experience a great deal of personal growth, gaining confidence in themselves and their abilities in the outdoors.

3. Overland travel component. Travelling through New Zealand and Australia’s stunning mountain, forest and beach environments, experiencing activities such as sea kayaking on spectacular Milford Sound, the annual Waitangi Day concert in Wellington celebrating cultural unity, evenings around the campfire, swimming in crystal clear lakes and rivers. Participants will gain insight into local indigenous cultures, examine historical and contemporary society, discover some of the world's most livable cities, and experience firsthand the legendary Australasian welcome.

You told us at the beginning of our journey that Pacific Discovery was created with the hope of impacting peoples lives. After two months in New Zealand and Australia, we all agree that the program has affected us all in a positive and unforgettable way! Together we have felt what it is like to be physically and mentally pushed, we have witnessed incredible sights, and reaped unbelievable rewards, overcoming our fears and learning so much on this journey. Thank you so much! New Zealand Australia Semester program group, 2009.

Academic Credit available on the New Zealand and Australia Semester

Click on the link below to view course and registration information for optional transferable credit available on this program.

Seattle Central Community College
Credit is available through the Seattle Central Community College Office of Cooperative Education and Service Learning. Whether you are from the US, Canada, or elsewhere, you are able to undertake this optional independent-study credit while on a Pacific Discovery program. Courses can be taken for 5 or 10 quarter credits and a maximum of 20 credits can be taken per quarter. This credit is a particularly good option for gap year students and students wanting an economical credit option.

New Zealand and Australia Semester Program Itinerary

Conservation volunteering, adventure education and travel through the North and South Islands of New Zealand, and East Coast of Australia

 

Day 1. Arrive in New Zealand. Arrive in Auckland, City of Sails…bright light and clean air awaits you. Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city, sprawling across an incredible landscape of harbors and the eroded cones of extinct volcanoes. Freshen up with an ocean swim and program briefing.

Day 2-7. Volunteer Project 1 - Bay of Islands. We make our way north to the stunning Bay of Islands. Visit Waitangi where New Zealand’s founding document the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. The first conservation project will be based from beautiful Urupukapuka Island, accessed by launch.  The Bay of Islands has an abundance of marine life, including whales, penguins, dolphins, gannets and many other species. This maritime and historic park was home to numerous Maori settlements and the first European settlement in New Zealand. Urupukapuka Island is managed by the Department of Conservation and contains a number of archeological sites. Dolphins are regularly seen in the waters around the island. While on the island we stay in a simple lodge and will be cooking all meals together. On Friday afternoon we’ll return to Auckland.

Day 8. Auckland is the largest Polynesian city in the world and we experience its unique Pacific flavor at the Otara weekend market. Then enjoy free time to wander the waterfront, explore the harbor and waterfront beaches, catch up on laundry, email and relax after our first week of volunteering.

Day 9-14. Waitomo Journey. We drive south to Waitomo, famous for its limestone caves and spend the afternoon getting briefed and preparing for our first expedition - an Indiana Jones style, 5-day multisport journey from the hills of Waitomo to the west coast of the North Island. We will be travelling through rugged terrain, traversing through a cave system, rappelling down a sheer 250ft cliff, using map and compass to navigate through untracked forest, and negotiating rivers by tube-raft and Canadian canoe. We’ll have food and equipment drops along the way but will be carrying tents, stoves and food with us.  The journey finishes with beaching our canoes and running across the sand to touch our final destination, the Tasman Sea. From the beach, we return to Waitomo, shower, change and drive to Taupo for some well deserved recuperation time in its welcoming natural hot springs.

Day 15. Taupo. A day to relax and catch up on email and laundry in an attractive lakeside resort town, before we plunge into our second expedition.

Day 16-20. Whanganui River Canoe Journey. This five day canoeing trip takes us through the heart of the Whanganui National Park - pristine native forest and an area rich in Maori history. We will be self-sufficient on the river, canoeing with all our clothing, food, tents etc in plastic barrels. It’s a great journey on a safe river and you’ll enjoy river life – paddling, splashing, swimming, camping and evenings around a campfire. We’ll spend our last night along the river in a beautiful marae – traditional Maori village.

Day 21-22. Wellington. New Zealand’s capital city is vibrant - great cafés and nightlife. We’re lucky that our itinerary coincides with the annual ‘One Love’ outdoor music concert celebrating New Zealand’s national day and cultural unity. We’ll enjoy the concert, visit Parliament to learn about New Zealand’s political system (more interesting than it sounds), and gain insight into Maori culture through an intimate Maori educational experience at the National Museum, before giving you free time to explore independently.

Day 23-28. To the South Island and Volunteer Project 2. We board a ferry bound for the South Island. After crossing the fearsome Cook Strait, we cruise through the twisting arms of the glacial carved Marlborough Sounds, and leap ashore in Picton. Our second conservation project will be based on a wildlife reserve island in the Marlborough Sounds, a maze of delightful coves, inlets, beaches and islands. We’ll be camping during this week and on Friday will drive the short distance to Nelson.

Day 29-30. Sunny Nelson. Have fun at Nelson’s lively weekend flea-market and enjoy some free time to catch up on the last week. We’ll enjoy a mountain bike ride on swooping scenic trails behind Nelson and there are plenty of other options on offer like the nearby Abel Tasman National Park and its gorgeous golden sand beaches for a day hike or sky-diving with fantastic views over the mountains and coastline.

Day 31-35. Volunteer Project 3. Our third conservation project will be based from the tiny settlement of St Arnaud in Nelson Lakes National Park, a beautiful mountain, forest and lake environment.  We will be staying in a lodge and working with DOC on a variety of projects related to their  'mainland island' - this project aims to eliminate pest animals and plants in the park, and reestablish rare and endangered native birds such as the Kiwi. It is a very successful project and we are really excited to have the opportunity to be involved. We’ll drive to Punakaiki on the West Coast on Friday afternoon.

Day 35-38. West Coast Road Trip. Voted one of the top ten road trips in the world, we travel the length of the South Island’s west coast from Nelson to Queenstown. Enjoy rugged coastlines, beautiful rainforest and spectacular glaciers. We spend two nights at Punakaiki, camping right on the beach, where the ocean’s roar will lull you to sleep. Then a night at the tiny beachside settlement of Okarito, where we try to spot endangered white heron’s while canoeing on beautiful Lake Okarito at sunset.

Day 39-42. Queenstown and Milford Sound Sea Kayaking. Queenstown is the world’s adventure capital. The options are endless - try bungy jumping or any of the multitude of adventure activities on offer. In the evenings you’re sure to enjoy the celebratory atmosphere in town. We take an overnight trip from Queenstown through the rugged Darren Mountains to spectacular Milford Sound, for an unforgettable sunrise sea-kayaking trip on the fjord.

Day 43-45. Mt Cook and Christchurch.  From Milford we drive north to Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park for two nights, where you have the option of some interesting day-hikes among the towering mountains before continuing on to Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city for a free day prior to our flight to Australia.

Day 46-51. Australia and Fraser Island Backpacking.  We fly from Christchurch, New Zealand to Brisbane, Australia - departing the youngest landmass on earth for the oldest. From Brisbane we drive north to Fraser Island, our favorite place in Australia, where we head off on a three-day backpacking trip...turtles, dingoes, diverse forests, and stunning freshwater lakes lapping white sand beaches.  Fraser Island is the largest sand island on earth and is covered in forest and beautifully clear lakes. After coming off Fraser Island we make our way south to Byron Bay.

Day 52-53. Byron Bay.  On a sensational section of coastline, Byron Bay has been a hippy hang-out since the 1970s and is today, the quintessential surfing town. Tie-dyed hippies mix with bronzed surfers, artists and large numbers of local and international tourists, there to enjoy its beaches, boutiques and cafes.  It’s a great place to relax and get in some beach time after our backpacking trip. While here, we’ll take a daytrip to hike up nearby Mt Warning, an ancient volcano, draped in rainforest, with fantastic summit views.

Day 54-58. Surfari Surf Camp.  We journey south to an isolated section of coast where we stay in a surf-camp and learn to surf on the myriad breaks in the area. We’ll be staying right on a beach and have surfing gurus as instructors. Spend evenings around a campfire debriefing each day and hearing the instructor’s wild stories before going to sleep to the sound of the waves pounding the beach.  This is also the perfect spot to reflect and process two months of incredible personal growth and life-changing experiences. On our final day, we’ll farewell our instructors and drive south to Sydney.

Day 59-60. Sydney. Bold, brash and beautiful, Sydney is arguably the world’s most vibrant city. Settle into our downtown accommodation near Sydney Cove, where the first European settlement in Australia was established, over 200 years ago. Explore Sydney’s famous harbor and beaches by ferry, visit the Opera House and check out the local beaches and shopping areas.  On the last morning we’ll farewell Australia and each other, returning home with a lifetime of memories, experiences and bonds formed during this trip.

Note: One day each week is a designated free day in towns and cities so that you can catch up on email, have some time out and have your own independent experiences.

New Zealand and Australia Semester Program Notes

Conservation volunteering, adventure education and travel through the North and South Islands of New Zealand, and East Coast of Australia

Suitability

Open to students, graduates and non-students 18-25 years. This program is suitable for anyone of average fitness with an enthusiasm for the outdoors, conservation and new experiences. You need to be committed to, and prepared for, some physical work whilst on the volunteer component of the program i.e. trail building or the removal of invasive plants and while on the outdoor activities, be prepared to give-it-a-go. You don’t need to have had any previous experience in any of the activities offered.

Accommodation

Our accommodation will be a mixture of camping and comfortable and clean hostels and lodges. Laundry, postal, telephone and email facilities will be available most days, except while in the field on the volunteer projects and on expeditions. Accommodation is diverse, comfortable and carefully chosen to fit our needs.

Meals

Food is a highlight when traveling. Special dietary requirements and vegetarians are catered for. Two thirds of meals are included in the program cost. Meals are fresh, tasty, healthy and varied. Food preparation, shared by all participants, is fun, social and often a highlight.  For the meals not included, you will have the option of dining out, or self-catering with others in the group.

Transport

For most travel we will use our own private vans with trailers. We take one mid-program flight between New Zealand and Australia.

Program fee

Program cost is $5,650 USD (change currency).

Program fee inclusions

Visas; All in-country transport; Mid-trip international flight from Christchurch, New Zealand to Brisbane, Australia; All accommodation; Meals as above; 3 different week-long volunteer conservation projects; Lectures from resident experts on conservation and eco-tourism; All expeditions, excursions, activities and adventure travel, as described in the itinerary (unless noted as optional);  Experienced Australasian program leader/s; Online image library for your program. Refer information booklet for international flight options.

 

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