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October
2003
One evening a couple of months back, Drewry turned to me and asked me to describe what I picture as my ultimate dream career. So all seriousness aside I laughed and said, well, I would work outside in the world for one. And preferably I'd be working on animal research or wildlife preservation, that sort of thing.
Well, that night, he sat down at the computer, did a search on the internet literally for "study animals" and what he found was an opportunity to volunteer for a time in New Zealand doing just that...working on a new nauture and wildlife research and preservation project through the Global Volunteer Network (GVN).
After some consideration, we decided to go ahead and apply, especially since there was literally no risk. You don't pay the application fee unless you get accepted and the program fee is refundable up to a specific date, should you decide not to go.
So after filling out the short online application and answering a couple of brief questions, we waited for the results. After a three day wait, we received an email confirming my acceptance to the program for the month of October, which gave us roughly a month and a half to prepare.
---------The Journey:
With only six spots available at any time each month, I became part of the very first group of volunteers for the New Zealand project, which officially began on October 1st, though I arrived in Wellington on Sept 30th, my 27th birthday.
Thida (CA) and Wendy (Australia) were there when I arrived and Debra "Belle" arrived the next day. We stayed at the youth hostel in Wellington until Oct 5th, when we moved into the volunteer house in Lower Hutt. Mallori (CO) arrived Oct 6th, while we were out at Bushy Park. Caitlin (Boston) and Vicky (UK) arrived on the 14th. Belle and Wendy left the next day. And a week later, Kristin (D.C.) arrived on the 22nd.
The "typical" work week schedule was pretty quickly thrown to the wind, though we did do most of the items on it...just not all of it necessarily every week. As it turned out for me, we typically had a sailing day, one day of another project, and a 3-day camping trip in various locations, which I really enjoyed!
There isn't a way that I can recap a month long trip of paradise on a website with any justice, so I will try to hit only a few of the highlights...
*As the first volunteers, we were honored by being welcomed onto the Island Bay marae with the traditional maori "powhiri." We had to learn a song in maori to sing and the most beautiful part was hearing the head maori of the marae sing a song with his 10 year old daughter in parts!
*At Bushy Park we fed New Zealand Robins and built an aviary, which will house two baby kiwi as part of the Kiwi Recovery Project.
*We counted and got up close with hundreds of seals at Cape Paliser as part of the fur-seal monitoring project.
*We sheltered baby trees on the steep coastal mountain sides overlooking Kapiti Island.
*Attended a show at the Indigo Club with a tribute band for The Smiths.
*At Rimutaka Forest our campsite was stunning. I jumped off a ledge into the river, plucked a dead possum, carried stoat traps up the ridge of the mountain and more as part of their predator control project. Also took a trek through the forest and up the rocky river in the dark of night to see the glowworms, that were like a wall of stars on the river banks! That experience was worth the entire trip for me.
*Attended the Jazz Festival in Wellington.
*Saw a Katipo spider (New Zealand's only poisonous species of plant or animal, which is very rare and endangered) during our Castle Point Sand Dune Vegetation Monitoring project. Also had a nice long swim in the freezing water, witnessed a magnificent sunset from the top of the limestone deposit, and sat at the top of a wall of sand with the Southern Cross in the stars above and the waves crashing below!
*Attended the National Rugby Championship Final between Wellington and Aukland!
*But with the good came just a bit of bad... as I lost two digital cameras to Wellington Harbor. One was defeated by the salt water, despite being kept in the dry, inside pocket of my coat. The other fell over board as I turned upside down to unload the kayak into the water from the boat.
The entire experience was so rewarding and life altering. I feel so refreshed inside and out. I'm back home now...a few pounds lighter, a tan, incredible new friends, lots of great pictures/memories of the time I spent there, and hope that I'll get the chance to do it again!
Many thanks to my fabulous husband, Drewry, who never ceases to amaze me and keep life interesting! You rock and I wish you could have gone with me.
