This 2024 we really focused hard on building up our volunteer numbers after the pandemic and cyclone both took their toll. With our new Volunteer Coordinator Bobbi Williams on board, you’ll hopefully have noticed our volunteer drive over the past 6 months. Eastwoodhill Arboretum is a large and beautiful place with a lot going on. It’s not just gardening and horticulture, it’s education, events, accommodation, walking tours, driven tours, and a cafe as well. We need helping hands in all areas to help NZ’s National Arboretum be the best it can be. A fantastic place to visit, explore and learn, as well as a safe haven for a wide collection of tree species from across the globe. We hope to keep building our volunteer program over 2025 and find more ways that we can collaborate.
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to give back to the community in 2025…
consider helping us keep this beautiful forest, housing 2500+ species collected from worldwide, open to the public!
Volunteering at NZ’s National Arboretum is a great way to swap your time and skills, to learn new skills, to gather and meet new people, to get a chance to explore the arboretum on a more regular basis, and as a way to gain some internationally admired work experience or extra-curricular for your resume.
There are always volunteering opportunities coming up and there are so many ways you can lend a hand. Our volunteer roles are super easy and you can keep it as simple as you like or bring your own flair. Bring a friend and split the duties to get more trail time into your visit.
Our volunteer opportunities come with free entry, free coffees and free scones! So make it your free day out, walk the trails. If you’d like to volunteer for more than just one day, we can often give you onsite accommodation, and if you’re travelling in a self-contained camper there’s spaces available.
If you’d like to get involved.
Email our volunteer coordinator bobbi@eastwoodhill.org.nz
We are looking for volunteers to help us with the following dates,
🍰 Upcoming Cafe Volunteering Opportunities:
January 8th – 14th
Simplicity is key here so it’s plunger coffee by local Far East, and there’s no difficult recipes. A Batch of scones, maybe a soup? If you want to throw a cake together, we won’t stop you! All ingredients are supplied of course.
Our Cafe is open from 10am – 3pm. You’re welcome to bring a friend and split the day between you to optimize your arboretum exploration time.
🛌 Upcoming Accommodation Turn Over Volunteering Opportunities:
January 12th OR 13th
Sometimes we need a little hand with accommodation turn overs especially when we’ve had a full house! If you’re a whizz at making beds and know how to whip round with a vacuum and turn on a washing machine then this the volunteer role for you!
Turn overs only take a maximum of 2 hours 10am – 12pm, so this leaves plenty of time for lunch and exploring all afternoon.
🙋♂️Upcoming Visitor Center Volunteering Opportunities:
January 4th – Saturday
January 25th – Saturday
February 15th/16th – Saturday & Sunday
If you’re a people person, then the visitor centre is the place to be. Meet and greet our visitor arrivals, give them a map and they’re off on their way. We’ve a straightforward point of sale system and it’s all pretty chill a book, play some tunes, click into the wifi and get your life admin or studies done. Too easy!
Bring a friend and split the day to get more trail walking in!