What work did you do while on the Work New Zealand program?

I spent my first three weeks on Great Barrier Island working at a hostel in exchange for my accommodation. It was just incredible. The people, the natural beauty, the lack of electricity - we powered up the generator in the morning to do laundry for about two hours and again at night for a few hours. I chopped firewood for the fire that heated the water for showers, and we filled the washing machines with buckets. Paradise! I then caught up with the ski season in Queenstown and spent the winter working at Coronet Peak and The Remarkables ski areas, in the Guest Services office. I’d never skied or snowboarded before, so the free lessons for staff were enormously helpful! The mountain staff was an instant community of great friends, mostly backpackers from all over the world. If you go to New Zealand with an open mind you’ll have no trouble finding work!