Day 01 - Tuesday Depart the USA
All of Rustic Pathways scheduled group flights to New Zealand depart from Los Angeles. Our carrier is Air Pacific – Fiji’s national airline. The flight each week is non-stop to Nadi International Airport in Fiji and is escorted by a Rustic Pathways Flight Leader. The flight departs LAX in the evening and takes about 10 hours. During your flight, take the time to get to know other students, get some sleep in preparation for your arrival in the South Pacific, relax with a movie or two and start to settle into the easy-going and friendly nature of the Fijian’s, the Kiwi’s and their legendary hospitality. After Arrival in Nadi, Fiji the students will continue their journey to Queenstown immediately. They will arrive in Queenstown that afternoon.
Day 02 – Wednesday In transit
Today is “lost” as you cross the international dateline, but don’t worry too much… you will get it back on your way home!
Day 03-Thursday Welcome to New Zealand!
Arrive into Queenstown in the afternoon where you will be met by our on-ground Kiwi staff. You will then head off and get settled into our Rustic Pathways base house, where you will spend the next two nights.
Queenstown- On the banks of Lake Wakatipu, and surrounded by the Southern Alps, this beautiful setting is the ideal base to start your New Zealand experience. This cosmopolitan town has no shortage of adrenaline inducing activities for you to sample. As the birthplace of bungy jumping, Queenstown is renowned for the countless adventure activities available to its visitors. If bungy jumping isn’t enough for you, skydiving, jet-boating, cable flying or parapenting await. If these all seems a bit much for you, more mellow activities such as ice-skating or a cruise on the lake are also easily accessible.
Day 04 - Friday Optional Activity Day
Start the day off with a wild ride down the Shotover River aboard the famous Shotover Jet Boat. Then we head to the Skyline Gondola and Luge complex which sits high above Queenstown on Bob's Peak, 790m above sea level. The Complex is reached by gondola cableway. Once on top of Bob's peak the luge race is on! Two 800 metre tracks go down through the trees, accessed by Pomagalski chairlift. A scenic track with viewing bays allows a leisurely trip down whilst enjoying the panorama. An advanced track allows the more adventurous to enjoy the challenge of banked corners, a tunnel, bends and dips. You can also take the option of parapenting off Bob's Peak. You will then have the afternoon free to take advantage of the many other fantastic optional activities that Queenstown has to offer, which include bungee jumping, sky diving, snowmobiling and canyon swing……………. the list is almost endless.
Day 05 – Saturday Let the Service Begin!
This morning we will pack up the car and say farewell to Queenstown as we make our way to our community service base, which is located in the small town of Papatowai!
The drive will take us about fours hours through some of the most scenic landscape New Zealand has to offer. On arrival into the coastal town of Papatowai the group will be met be our local hosts Fergus and Mary. Once we have settled into our new base it’s then time to meet some of the local Penguins and let the service begin!
Day 06 - Sunday Exciting Projects
Today will be your first full day of service work! Project work during the course of your program will involve participation in a variety of initiatives. You can expect to spend a lot of time on Fergus and Mary farm building fences, planting, and crawling along their privately owned 30 year old penguin reserve. You also might find yourself in the community gardens and trails to the ocean. In addition to building and gardening, you will have the opportunity to develop services for the children that live in Papatowai. This might involve working at the local fire department, the children’s playground, or local schools.
You can expect your days to be long and full of different types of service. In the process of this hard work you will notice yourself becoming part of a community that is removed from much of modern day nonsense and in truly unchanged by time. By traveling across the world to help a community you are showing that your compassion has no boundaries and you will be welcomed as a neighbor and not a stranger.
Tonight we can get together and have an exciting cultural seminar on the Maori Culture and learn about the famous Haka; maybe even try to do it ourselves...
Days 07 – Monday Full day of work with a little time to wander!
This morning you will continue with the projects you began the day before. Lunch will give you some time to rest and relax together before you go back to work for the afternoon.
Day 08 –Tuesday The Work Must Go On!
The morning will be spent finishing up any projects that need completing, or simply see what else we can do for the town of Papatowai.
This afternoon we will be sure to have some optional activities. If you are particularly involved in any project of service we can continue with that, or…
You may have the opportunity for some touring and sightseeing along the coast. The group can determine the pace of the afternoon but it may include a few hours combing the beach for paua shells, sea kayaking, visiting the Lost Gypsy, or roaming the hills to explore the area. The staff will know all the best sights and activities to fill up your day and will happily help you make the most of your afternoon.
In the evening, you will return to the base house to socialize, play soccer, go for a run or walk with our staff or just chill out. There will also be night astronomy classes! Southland is one of the best viewing spots in the entire world because of the lack of light pollution, air pollution, and positioning on the globe.
Day 09 – Wednesday Farewell Rugged Coast
Today we are going to drive back across to Queenstown. It’s going to be an early start to the morning so we plenty of time for some side trips and see some very unique spots off the beaten track. We can stop for pictures, go into local shop to buy some hand carved bone or Pounamu, and get some of the world’s best fish and chips. Today is a chance to do some much desired shopping for souvenirs.
Day 10- Thursday Goodbye Aoteroa!
Well your first week has flown by like a dream and you should now be truly ingrained in Kiwi land. You will have time to say goodbye to the new friends and land that you have become a part of. These goodbyes are often accompanied by tears.
Extending Your Trip. Weeks Two, Three, Four and Beyond….
If you’re staying longer your weeks will remain much the same as your first week but no day is exactly the same with Rustic Pathways so there will be new opportunities of service and adventure. Your understanding of foreign culture will be better, the depth of the friendships you’ve made will be stronger and your ability to communicate, participate and contribute will be enhanced the longer you spend here. New Zealand has a way of capturing your senses and these islands have captivated many a visitor. To find a place with the degree of friendliness that the locals possess, the natural beauty that this country encapsulates, melded with the easy-going and peaceful pace of life that the locals adhere to can be wonderfully refreshing and incredibly enticing. Your staff will encourage you to enjoy all that this program has to offer and we hope that the quality and range of projects, personalities and activities you experience only make you want to stay longer!
An Important Note about Schedule Changes:
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur. |
COMMUNITY SERVICE 
Set to Work!
Come Visit The Land of the Long White Cloud!
