Residential Volunteering
Tararu Valley Sanctuary is essentially a volunteer organization. Without the continuous contribution of volunteers, the project would not be possible. If you are interested in playing a part in the protection and reforestation of a beautiful area of New Zealand's native rainforest, whilst taking part in adventure recreation and sharing your experiences with people from around the world, then read on!
While we also encourage locals to get involved, the majority of our volunteers are people from all over the planet who choose to come and stay with us and help out. Please do take a look around the rest of the website to find out more about what we are trying to achieve here.
Our Sanctuary is located on the sheltered side of the Coromandel Peninsula, and feels quite remote, though we're only a half hour drive (1 hour bike ride/1.5 hrs walk) from the small town of Thames, and a 1.5 hour drive from Auckland. The balance between seclusion and access is ideal.
A typical Valley week has 3-4 project days, 1-2 adventure recreation days, and a 'free-day'. Projects range across habitat building, sustainable production, rainforest restoration and more. These projects include tree-planting, mulching, track-work, wildlife monitoring, carpentry, gardening, cob-earth projects, and so much more.
Our adventure recreation trips run continuously throughout the North Island of New Zealand and take us to some of the best places in the area for a variety of activities like rock climbing and sea kayaking. Every 5-6 weeks we go on a week-long "epic" trip where we explore some great locations elsewhere in New Zealand. Valley recreation also involves gentler activities like reading, board games, flax-weaving, yoga, meditation, art and music.
So you can expect a great mix of activities, plus time to really build new friendships and make a home in a unique place on the Planet. We think THREE MONTHS is an ideal length of time to sample what the Valley has to offer! Take a look through the rest of this section of our website to find out what is involved in our residential volunteering scheme, and how to apply.
Photo Tour
The Sanctuary receives a great many enquiries where often the major question people ask is:
"If I join the Tararu Valley programme as a Residential Volunteer ... what will it be like?"
As we’ve already mentioned, a typical Valley week has 3-4 project days, 1-2 adventure recreation days, and a 'free-day', as well as a week long ‘Epic Trip’ once every 5-6 weeks.
Since many volunteers choose to come down for three months, we've put together a series of photographs that were all taken over a three-month period (in 2004) to show the variety of projects and recreation that you can expect for this duration.
Take me on the Three Month Photo Tour!
Who Is Suitable?
If you can answer ‘yes’ to most of the following questions, then you are!
- Are you interested in learning to live in a way that's sustainable with the Earth's resources?
- Do you love nature? Rain or shine? Bugs as well as bunnies?
- "I'd rather want what I have than have what I want"
- Can you survive and thrive on vegetarian, un-fast food?
- Would you be comfortable using an outdoor loo? Camping? Sleeping under the stars?
- Can you handle living with lots of new faces and new personalities?
- Are you OK being away from friends and family for several weeks or months?
- Are you responsible, mature, open minded?
- Are you fit? Healthy? Happy? Like can you handle a long walk? Chop wood and carry water?
- Can you work independently sometimes and learn quickly?
What Past Volunteers Say About Us
Here's what some our past volunteers have to say about the Valley...
“Can't imagine a more beautiful place or people in the World” ~ Julie K., California, USA
“The only place in the World where I've ever felt happy or complete 100% of the time” ~ Charlie C., United Kingdom
“As I have said in emails to friends and family, there is no way I can put in to words or capture on camera the pure essence of Tararu Valley; what I found there and how it made me feel… The peace I found, the connection and energy I felt and the beauty I saw was like nothing else and it is sure to be a lasting memory.” ~ Hannah M., UK
“I have gained much of my inspiration for a sustainable lifestyle from you guys!” ~ Eliot E., Los Angeles, USA
“I will never forget you or the time I stayed with you in Tararu Valley… I would also like to thank you for helping me figure out what I was passionate about.” ~ Amanda K., Denver Colorado
“I can’t thank you enough for all that you taught me, all that you gave to me and all that you opened my eyes to.” ~ Kate D., MA, USA (and Anna, UK)
“ I miss the Valley already. I'm sure my friends are getting sick of me talking about the last two months. "In New Zealand we..."; That's how most of my sentences start now.” ~ Matt V., USA
“By living in an environment surrounded by nature and interacting with the abundance of this life, I have begun to enjoy each moment and become present. For me, Tararu Valley has been a place where I found direction in this life.” ~ Aaron H., aka "Hobbit", New Zealand
