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#Increased confidence and a more positive attitude #Precious memories of New Zealand's nature #A healing experience for my tired body and mind
While staying in New Zealand, I was able to experience the clean, beautiful nature with my whole body! Also, the surroundings of the cabin-like accommodation in the forest were beautiful, and the sunset setting behind it was really stunning. At night, the stars seemed like they could pour down — it''s a place I will never forget.
Volunteering for conservation in New Zealand''s nature with friends from around the world A college gap-year participant''s review
|
Hello! I''m a college student who recently participated in environmental protection volunteer work in New Zealand!
To sum up the environmental protection volunteer work I did in New Zealand in one word, it was ''tree planting''! haha
Actually, when trying to do tree-planting activities in Korea, the first thing to consider is the ''location.'' But there is no space to plant trees. There''s nowhere to plant trees! I live in an apartment without a yard, so I don''t have land where I can plant trees freely. You would have to ask the school for permission or use land like a grandparent''s place, but that''s not easy. So I decided to participate in this overseas volunteer gap-year activity in New Zealand!
*For college participants who wanted a special environmental volunteer experience and time to learn more about themselves,Activities that allowed meaningful volunteering, and customized 1:1 personal missions about life direction and leisure time were provided daily, and a gap year notebook for self-reflection and planning was also provided.
# The land used for planting trees by the local New Zealand organization was returned without any compensation!
I felt it was remarkable that the local New Zealand conservation group had secured land to plant trees.Of course, the story of how they obtained the land was surprising at the time. Apparently, land that had been bought in New Zealand by someone in Australia was returned without any compensation.
Originally it had been used as a mine and for growing crops, but it was later abandoned and became perfect land for planting trees, so they were doing environmental protection activities there haha.
# My first impression of the accommodation I stayed at in New Zealand was amazing!
Packing before leaving for New Zealand wasn''t difficult. Prepare as if for hiking: hiking boots, a windbreaker, a hat — even a sleeping bag. When I went it was winter in New Zealand. It''s not that cold (around 10°C?), but it''s chilly to sleep wearing only light clothes at night, so bring a sleeping bag if you want to dress lightly.
Upon arrival, my first impression of the accommodation where we stayed for activities was amazing! The outside of the place was even better than the inside!!
The accommodation for the volunteer work was located inside a national park — a house in the forest, which was what I had dreamed of haha. Just a short walk outside led to a green walking path, and even though it was winter, many trees still had green leaves.
There was lots of grass, and when we dusted off our gloves or boots, a chirping bird would often come nearby. I can boldly say it was the cutest bird I''ve ever seen.A chubby body and a long tail that even fans out like a fan. It moved with a bobbing motion up and down. The most charming thing was that it came close to people to eat insects that jump up where people step. Because you could see it up close! A castella-like belly, the line beside its eye. Everything was perfect haha.
And when you looked near the accommodation, the sunset descending behind it was really beautiful! At night, stars that seemed like they''d pour out appeared — it was a wonderful place! :)
# The activities I did in New Zealand were!
Every time we volunteered, we were accompanied by the cute fantail bird! It was great haha. Planting trees was simple and everything was already provided. We collected tree seeds, pre-treated them, planted them, raised seedlings, and contributed to part of every step up to planting.
If I describe the volunteer activities I did in the order of the trees'' life cycle, it goes as follows!
1. Seed collection
: It was very fun! It was a volunteer activity where you just go into the forest and pick the red things. At the same time, it was a great opportunity to closely observe New Zealand''s forests.Before I traveled, when I looked it up I only realized it was a region with a mix of various climates, but when I went there I saw many palm trees like in the tropics, and canopy trees were frequently observed. Strangely, it felt like Southeast Asia, yet the vegetation was like nothing I had seen before.
And the forest where I volunteered turned out to be mostly man-made. New Zealand''s land has a reputation for being very natural, so I was surprised to hear that 80% of it involved clearing original vegetation and re-landscaping!
2. Seed pre-treatment
: The activity was to peel off the fruit''s outer shell and press it firmly into a small pot.Simple task! Toward the end I couldn''t tell what was seed and what was shell, so I planted them all together. You can peel the outer shell with your fingers or a rolling pin, but they were so small that my muscles got sore. haha
So I worked while listening to music and ended up exposing my playlist to everyone... haha. It was mostly Korean indie bands, and I worried people from other countries might not like it, but a volunteer from China asked for the song titles, which made me proud.
3. Transplanting seedlings into pots
: When you plant the seeds, sprouts appear, and because sprouts and moss grow vigorously together in one place, it''s necessary to separate them and transplant only one individual into each pot. Cute seedlings! After planting the seedling, we took it outside to get sunlight.
4. Selecting seedlings
: When the transplanted seedlings grow to some extent, they become so sturdy that you hardly recognize them.We selected the trees that grew straight without bending and brought them to the planting site. Oh, and bent trees are grown again after changing their orientation!
# The last was the most important tree-planting activity!
Last. Tree planting!
This was the task that actually took the most time after the above volunteer activities! You dig the ground in a triangular shape with a shovel. Three times in total! After removing the soil from the dug area, you take the seedling out of its pot, plant it there, and cover it again with the removed soil to secure it. Around the well-secured tree, three stakes are planted; these are used to put on a windbreak. Make a windbreak out of a nonwoven-like material into a triangular prism and wrap it around the outside of the stakes to complete it!
# The best thing about volunteering in New Zealand was!
During this overseas volunteer period, by planting trees I was able to experience New Zealand''s beautiful nature with my whole body!
Long lichens hanging from nearby large trees! Lichens are indicator species that only grow where there''s no air pollution, and they were growing so long they could be used as magic wands — it was truly amazing!
Also, since we volunteered together from organizations related to wild bird research, it was nice that we could observe various birds. When I explained that I enjoy birdwatching, they told me where the coast where blue penguins appear is and where to go to see certain birds.Unfortunately I didn''t see the penguins, but it was an experience where I could see many birds that can''t be seen elsewhere. They were very, very cute!!! :)
My gap year is!
Experience ★★★★★
Learning★★★★★
Environment★★★★★
Safety★★★★★
Leisure★★★
Gap-year exclusiveNew Zealand overseas volunteer projectWant more information?!
Click the banner belowPlease!
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
While staying in New Zealand, I was able to experience the clean, beautiful nature with my whole body! Also, the surroundings of the cabin-like accommodation in the forest were beautiful, and the sunset setting behind it was really stunning. At night, the stars seemed like they could pour down — it''s a place I will never forget.
Volunteering for conservation in New Zealand''s nature with friends from around the world A college gap-year participant''s review
|
Hello! I''m a college student who recently participated in environmental protection volunteer work in New Zealand!
To sum up the environmental protection volunteer work I did in New Zealand in one word, it was ''tree planting''! haha
Actually, when trying to do tree-planting activities in Korea, the first thing to consider is the ''location.'' But there is no space to plant trees. There''s nowhere to plant trees! I live in an apartment without a yard, so I don''t have land where I can plant trees freely. You would have to ask the school for permission or use land like a grandparent''s place, but that''s not easy. So I decided to participate in this overseas volunteer gap-year activity in New Zealand!
*For college participants who wanted a special environmental volunteer experience and time to learn more about themselves,Activities that allowed meaningful volunteering, and customized 1:1 personal missions about life direction and leisure time were provided daily, and a gap year notebook for self-reflection and planning was also provided.
# The land used for planting trees by the local New Zealand organization was returned without any compensation!
I felt it was remarkable that the local New Zealand conservation group had secured land to plant trees.Of course, the story of how they obtained the land was surprising at the time. Apparently, land that had been bought in New Zealand by someone in Australia was returned without any compensation.
Originally it had been used as a mine and for growing crops, but it was later abandoned and became perfect land for planting trees, so they were doing environmental protection activities there haha.
# My first impression of the accommodation I stayed at in New Zealand was amazing!
Packing before leaving for New Zealand wasn''t difficult. Prepare as if for hiking: hiking boots, a windbreaker, a hat — even a sleeping bag. When I went it was winter in New Zealand. It''s not that cold (around 10°C?), but it''s chilly to sleep wearing only light clothes at night, so bring a sleeping bag if you want to dress lightly.
Upon arrival, my first impression of the accommodation where we stayed for activities was amazing! The outside of the place was even better than the inside!!
The accommodation for the volunteer work was located inside a national park — a house in the forest, which was what I had dreamed of haha. Just a short walk outside led to a green walking path, and even though it was winter, many trees still had green leaves.
There was lots of grass, and when we dusted off our gloves or boots, a chirping bird would often come nearby. I can boldly say it was the cutest bird I''ve ever seen.A chubby body and a long tail that even fans out like a fan. It moved with a bobbing motion up and down. The most charming thing was that it came close to people to eat insects that jump up where people step. Because you could see it up close! A castella-like belly, the line beside its eye. Everything was perfect haha.
And when you looked near the accommodation, the sunset descending behind it was really beautiful! At night, stars that seemed like they''d pour out appeared — it was a wonderful place! :)
# The activities I did in New Zealand were!
Every time we volunteered, we were accompanied by the cute fantail bird! It was great haha. Planting trees was simple and everything was already provided. We collected tree seeds, pre-treated them, planted them, raised seedlings, and contributed to part of every step up to planting.
If I describe the volunteer activities I did in the order of the trees'' life cycle, it goes as follows!
1. Seed collection
: It was very fun! It was a volunteer activity where you just go into the forest and pick the red things. At the same time, it was a great opportunity to closely observe New Zealand''s forests.Before I traveled, when I looked it up I only realized it was a region with a mix of various climates, but when I went there I saw many palm trees like in the tropics, and canopy trees were frequently observed. Strangely, it felt like Southeast Asia, yet the vegetation was like nothing I had seen before.
And the forest where I volunteered turned out to be mostly man-made. New Zealand''s land has a reputation for being very natural, so I was surprised to hear that 80% of it involved clearing original vegetation and re-landscaping!
2. Seed pre-treatment
: The activity was to peel off the fruit''s outer shell and press it firmly into a small pot.Simple task! Toward the end I couldn''t tell what was seed and what was shell, so I planted them all together. You can peel the outer shell with your fingers or a rolling pin, but they were so small that my muscles got sore. haha
So I worked while listening to music and ended up exposing my playlist to everyone... haha. It was mostly Korean indie bands, and I worried people from other countries might not like it, but a volunteer from China asked for the song titles, which made me proud.
3. Transplanting seedlings into pots
: When you plant the seeds, sprouts appear, and because sprouts and moss grow vigorously together in one place, it''s necessary to separate them and transplant only one individual into each pot. Cute seedlings! After planting the seedling, we took it outside to get sunlight.
4. Selecting seedlings
: When the transplanted seedlings grow to some extent, they become so sturdy that you hardly recognize them.We selected the trees that grew straight without bending and brought them to the planting site. Oh, and bent trees are grown again after changing their orientation!
# The last was the most important tree-planting activity!
Last. Tree planting!
This was the task that actually took the most time after the above volunteer activities! You dig the ground in a triangular shape with a shovel. Three times in total! After removing the soil from the dug area, you take the seedling out of its pot, plant it there, and cover it again with the removed soil to secure it. Around the well-secured tree, three stakes are planted; these are used to put on a windbreak. Make a windbreak out of a nonwoven-like material into a triangular prism and wrap it around the outside of the stakes to complete it!
# The best thing about volunteering in New Zealand was!
During this overseas volunteer period, by planting trees I was able to experience New Zealand''s beautiful nature with my whole body!
Long lichens hanging from nearby large trees! Lichens are indicator species that only grow where there''s no air pollution, and they were growing so long they could be used as magic wands — it was truly amazing!
Also, since we volunteered together from organizations related to wild bird research, it was nice that we could observe various birds. When I explained that I enjoy birdwatching, they told me where the coast where blue penguins appear is and where to go to see certain birds.Unfortunately I didn''t see the penguins, but it was an experience where I could see many birds that can''t be seen elsewhere. They were very, very cute!!! :)
My gap year is!
Experience ★★★★★
Learning★★★★★
Environment★★★★★
Safety★★★★★
Leisure★★★
Gap-year exclusiveNew Zealand overseas volunteer projectWant more information?!
Click the banner belowPlease!
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
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