Paid work in Bay of Islands and Queenstown, New Zealand
‘I went to New Zealand with Changing Worlds for my gap year in September 2005, which seems so long ago now! It was really easy to plan with them, it made my first trip away from home so much less scary! Changing worlds did all the things that I couldn’t easily do from here, they got me a job, found me somewhere to live, sorted out a rep to keep an eye on me, booked my flights and gave me all the information I could ever need!
When I got there it was fantastic, me and 5 others were staying in the Bay of Islands working in a hotel there. It is the most beautiful place! I remember on my first day we all walked along the beach to the supermarket and dolphins were playing in the sea right by the shore, I had never seen anything like it!
I stayed there for 4 months before going traveling with the girls I had been living with. We climbed glaciers, volcanoes, abseiled down waterfalls, swam in hot mud pools, went to some of the most beautiful beaches you could imagine. Plus all the classic New Zealand tourist stuff, between us we managed to do 2 skydives, 3 bungy jumps and went white water rafting; things I don’t think I would ever have been brave enough to go for in the UK! New Zealand is such a diverse and beautiful country, I still get a bit excited wherever it’s on the news because it feels a bit like home!
It was an amazing experience, and I would advise anyone thinking about going traveling to take the plunge and go for it! You might just get hooked; I’m planning gap year number 2 right now!’
