Volunteers and gap year students plus interns help develop the vision of our charity.

In addition, staff and volunteers undertake environmental service work - planting trees, ecological surveys and pest trapping on contract, as a way to help fund the Valley and make a further gift to surrounding environs.

Our volunteer programme suits people interested in learning about sustainable living, enjoying the outdoors, and living a saner, richer and simpler life. Take part as a residential volunteer and you'll experience New Zealand in a very special way while making a real contribution to Nature. The care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility.

Our volunteer programmes include plenty of free time for personal growth and a time-proven programme of recreation trips run continuously throughout the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula. Activities include seakayaking, hiking (tramping) and camping, horse-riding, and swimming. Recreation also involves gentler activities like reading, board games, yoga, meditation, art and music.

We know the terrain and we run trips to choose the best weather and take in those extra places and experiences - hot pools, alpine peaks, Pacific beaches, and ancient forests. From kiwi birds to tuatara, butterflies to penguins, blue fungi to green lizards, little glow-worms to giant kauri trees you'll see Nature though new eyes with us.

Earthwise Valley provides opportunities for people to step out of the mainstream world and explore ways of living sustainably, to lighten our ecological footprint - a way for travellers to give something back to Nature, while still experiencing some of the best adventures and sharing life with locals. Our efforts to live more sustainably include permacultural food production - with organic gardens and fruit trees, experimenting with earth building techniques, timber plantations, and we are working towards adopting renewable energy - windmills, solar panels and micro-hydro generation.

In addition, staff and volunteers undertake environmental service work - planting trees, ecological surveys and pest trapping on contract, as a way to help fund the Valley and make a further gift to surrounding environs.