Description

Our Wellington Botanical Garden placement features the best of both worlds. Here you have a chance to live in New Zealand's most vibrant city, Wellington, while commuting to one of the Pacific's great botanical gardens. The garden is large enough to offer interns the opportunity to perform a wide selection of job duties that can be negotiated on site. While propagating species and working in the field is one aspect of the experience, students interested in eco-tourism operation and marketing may likewise find more office oriented opportunities. Patrick was interested in the hands-on variety of Garden work and his description is below.

My New Zealand experience was amazing! Working at the gardens was a wonderful experience and I met some good friends that I will remember forever. Leanne, my contact and supervisor at the botanic gardens, was one of the friendliest people I have ever met. She always sought to maximize not only my internship experience, but also my experience in New Zealand. She allowed me to shuffle through some of the different departments at the Gardens. For the first two weeks I worked at a large reserve not connected to the main gardens. It was a very cool experience, the entrance has the typical exhibits you would see at a botanical garden with the exception that all the plants are New Zealand natives. The other 95% of the reserve were breathtaking hills covered by native forest. There were 6 trails at with the skyline trail taking you to the top of the ridge where you can look down on the rest of the reserve as well as get a breathtaking view of Wellington. At the reserve I worked on creating/altering/maintaining different plant exhibits, cloning plants, and upkeep of the paths. Working in the outdoors with my New Zealand co-workers was always enjoyable. The staff taught me many different things about the plants inhabiting the reserve.

The next two weeks were spent in the Botanic Gardens. Here I worked on various non-native plant exhibits and learned even more about various plant species. Specifically, I learned about the growing conditions and unique features of the plants in the exhibits. They also allowed me to do some work as with an arborist, using ropes and harnesses to climb trees over 75 Feet tall! The Rose Garden was vibrant, spacious, and being there gave you a calming feeling to just stop and ... smell the roses.

My last two weeks was spent at the Plant Nursery. Here I mainly worked on seed/plant propagation, and seedling potting. I learned how much work actually goes into managing a botanic garden. Seeds and plant clones were all documented on when they were obtained, where they were obtained, and what species they were. Quantities and types of plants were also documented for shipping purposes as the nursery was the source for desired plants for everyone in the Wellington region. I learned a lot about propagation techniques, the names and characteristics of different species of plants, all stages of plant growth, and certain aspects of the business and management of the Gardens. The most enjoyable thing at the nursery was seed collecting. My supervisor and I would drive all around the beautiful areas in and around Wellington to find and collect the specific seeds the nursery needed.

The whole trip was wonderful, from exploring the city, to learning how a Botanical Garden operates. Everyone in New Zealand were noticeably more friendly than people in the States, even perfect strangers always had time to help me and were happy to do so.

Institute for Cultural Ecology set me up with a wonderful housing option. I was living with the Watson's who live in the Mount Victoria District of Wellington. Maria Watson treated me like a son, and was brilliant when it came to cooking and eating healthy, organic foods; to this day I still use her recipes and have become developed much better eating habits as a result of her influence. Owen Watson was more reserved, but was also brilliant in his own right, he was full of interesting facts, and opinions; and was always willing to get into deep discussions about various topics. The location was perfect, 5 minutes to Courtenay Place (the most active street in Wellington) where there were dozens of restaurants, shops, theaters, and bars. Another 5 minutes takes you past the supermarket (very convenient) to New Zealand's National Museum (admittance is free!); I took four trips just to see it all. From there it is only a couple minutes to the local opera theater, Wellington Library, City Council, other Museums, Parliament, the train station, popular shopping areas and of course the Wellington Botanic Gardens. There was simply too much to do there, even for being there for six weeks, a few things I enjoyed were seeing plays (dozens of small theaters and a good amount of larger venues), taking tours, visiting the museums, and seeing the sites. My hosts were very kind, interactive, and were always offering me advice to make my experience more memorable. This city is for anyone looking for diversity and culture.

Highlights

The Peace Garden

In 1844, the New Zealand Company set aside a 5.26 hectare strip of land for a Botanic Garden reserve. At that time the land was covered in dense podocarp forest including rimu, totara and matai. The Garden was established in 1868 and managed by the New Zealand Institute. Trees growing today on Druid Hill and Magpie Spur grew from seedlings planted at this time, and are some of the oldest exotic trees in New Zealand.

Guided Walks

Heritage Roses & Their Story

An easy one-hour walk looking at the history of heritage roses. Meet at the Seddon Memorial entrance to Bolton Street Memorial Park.

Fragrance, Flavour & Physic

A tour of the Herb Garden, looking at the fragrant, medicinal, culinary and domestic uses of herbs. Meet at the fountain in the Rose Garden for this easy 90-minute walk. Cost USD 4.

Mingling with Myrtles

We look at Southern Hemisphere myrtles that are used for food, flavouring, medicine, timber, shelter, and as ornamental trees and shrubs. Meet at the Cable Car entrance for this moderate 90-minute walk. Cost USD 4.

Christmas Event

Children singing European Christmas carols
Kaleidoscope of European Carols. Enjoy carols and dance with a European Christmas flavour. Join in singing English carols by candlelight at the Botanic Garden's Soundshell. Entry is free. Gold coin donation for candles and song sheets.

Nettle (Urtica)

Plants that Poison, Maim & Kill
Join Curator-Manager Rewi Elliot on this easy 45-minute walk looking at the nastier side of our native plants. Meet at the Information Centre.

Cost:

The Blue Trail

Recover from your Christmas festivities! Join John Dawson on this walk along the Blue Trail to the 800-year-old rimu. This two-hour walk is steep with some steps. Wear sturdy shoes. Meet at the Information Centre.

Guided Tours

Guided tours are available
The Botanic Garden has a huge range of plant species from many different parts of the world. There are also collections that pay tribute to New Zealand's natural heritage.

Australian Garden

This garden has banksias, grevillea, kangaroo paw and other interesting Australian plants.
Bolton Street Memorial Park
This historic cemetery has an heritage rose collection inspired by original graveside plantings.

Camellias

Native to Southeast Asia, camellias have adapted well to New Zealand since being
introduced in the 1870s. This camellia garden was developed in the 1960s.
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Exotic Forest

This forest, containing more than 50 conifer species, was planted in the 1870s by colonial botanists. The pines on Druids' Hill and Magpie Spur are some of the oldest pines in New Zealand.

Fragrant Garden

Just below the Treehouse Visitor Centre, this aromatic garden is a wonderful place to stop and sniff.

Herb Garden

Instant inspiration for home herb gardens, this garden has native and exotic herbs that are useful as well as decorative.

Horseshoe Bend

This is a tranquil garden of Asian woodland plants and trees including maples, magnolias, hostas, primula and rhododendrons.

Hydrangea Gully

A glowing summer tapestry of hydrangea varieties and species.

Lady Norwood Rose Garden

Set around an heritage fountain, this formally styled rose garden has over 3,000 roses. There is a mix of modern and traditional varieties.

Magnolias

Magnolias fringe the Sound Shell lawn and William Bramley Drive. The waxy blooms erupt between late winter and early spring.

Maori Flax Collection

This native flax garden contains nearly 50 varieties selected by Maori for weaving, clothing and other economic uses. Some of these varieties date from the Garden's early flax trials in the late 1800s.

Native Forest

This sheltered area has remnants of native forest that precede European settlement. The oldest tree in the garden - a gnarled hinau - is over 200 years old.

Ornamental Grasses

This garden features a wide range of ornamental grasses, located at the top of the Cable Car.
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Perennials

The Sound Shell bank is home to a delightful selection of perennials, and hot-coloured varieties liven up the garden beds in front of the Begonia House.

Rhododendrons

Rhododendron varieties are scattered throughout the garden. The colourful and often flowering vireya rhododendrons can be seen at the bottom of the Children's Play Area.

Rock Gardens

There are three rock gardens in the Main Garden. The Main Rock Garden has alpine plants and bulbs, rhododendrons and maples. There are also plants from the Mediterranean, Continental Europe and Asia. The Oak Rock Garden features many South African bulbs. The best time to view these gardens is from spring to midsummer.

Succulents

This collection contains eye-catching and unusual plants and there is always something in flower. Tuis and other nectar-drinking birds feed on aloe flowers in winter.

Trees

There are many notable trees in the Garden, many dating back to the 1860s. Towering redwoods, sequoia, pinus, cork and common oaks are particularly striking.

Qualifications

Minimum 18-years old. Good academic standing.

Intern Types

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

1,895 and up

Program Fees Include:

- Housing
- Set up
- In country support
- Office support
- Pre-trip reader

Experience Required

no

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Phone/Video Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

7 days

Institute for Cultural Ecology's Mission Statement

The Institute for Cultural Ecology was founded on the conviction that visits to exotic destinations imply a commitment to cultural sensitivity and environmental stewardship. Our programs match the interests, academic goals, and passions of the participant to premier host organizations and researchers. Once you connect with a place and its people, they become a part of you. Forever.

Year Founded

1999