High School Study Abroad in Queenstown, New Zealand

You might not get to take classes with hobbits, but Queenstown, New Zealand has so much more to offer to high school students. Any budding thrill seeker will feel at home in Queenstown, known as the top adventure destination amongst adrenaline-junkies from around the world. The combination of water sports and heaps of outdoor activities - not to mention that cutie who caught your eye in calc class - might make focusing on your studies a bit difficult. If this sounds better than the dimly lit, slightly stinky hallways of your high school, then head south (way south!) to experience life as a kiwi with high school study abroad in Queenstown!

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6 High School Trips to Queenstown, New Zealand

Travel For Teens

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Travel For Teens: Australia and New Zealand Service

Fly across the International Dateline and arrive in the Land Down Under! Our journey to Australia and New Zealand is a TFT favorite, combining adventure with cultural exploration and major travel destinations with little-known gems. In New Zealand, we will experience the country’s famed natural beauty and enjoy a boat cruise on picture-perfect Milford Sound in the mountains. During the cruise, we will watch for penguins, seals, and even dolphins! We will also take an exhilarating ride on the world’s fastest jet boat, zooming through rock canyons. To cap off our time in New Zealand, we will enjoy a traditional Maori ceremony and even have the chance to learn the dance and participate! After New Zealand, we’ll hop on a short flight for the ultimate Australian experience. Here, we will enjoy the best of Australia’s wildlife while completing service work with local organizations dedicated to protecting the country’s unique and diverse wildlife and natural habitat. Projects include working at a rehabilitation center where we will help care for injured and orphaned tree-kangaroos and reintroduce them back into the wild, and visiting an endangered ecosystem.

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Westcoast Connection

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New Zealand, Australia & Fiji Adventure - 28 Days

Beautiful landscapes, immersive cultural experiences, and unforgettable adventures—you’ll experience it all on this teen adventure travel program in the South Pacific! Journey through New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji, experiencing new and unique activities like zorbing, waterfall rafting, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, island-hopping, and more. You’ll bond with fellow participants in a small, tight-knit group guided by leaders who create a welcoming family atmosphere from day one. This is no ordinary teen travel program; it’s a four-week summer adventure you’ll never forget! Please note that a limited number of participants depart on day 21, while teens on the 28-day program continue to Fiji.

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A Guide to High School Programs Abroad in Queenstown

Teen Programs in Queenstown

For many high school students thinking about studying abroad, this trip will be their first big trip without their parents. While New Zealand has its own unique and fascinating culture, the fact that it is an English speaking, western culture may make it an easier transition for teen travelers.

Popular high school programs in Queenstown. Students looking for outdoor adventure have come to the right place. In addition to hiking, snorkeling, and skiing, high school students in New Zealand can learn about marine biology and permaculture. Interested in giving back? Try a community service program and learn about Queenstown and its environs by volunteering. Students interested in developing a home away from home might consider a homestay, where you’ll become part of your Kiwi family and experience real life in New Zealand.

How long are typical high school programs in Queenstown? Looking for an adventure but not yet ready to spend a whole year away from home? Try a high school summer program in New Zealand, where there are several companies organizing programs for students to experience the best of New Zealand for a few weeks at a time. Not all high schools will accept transfer credit from a study abroad program so shorter programs have the added benefit of not interrupting your studies. The downside to only spending a few weeks in New Zealand is the travel time: it takes roughly a full day in each direction. This means you need to ration your airplane movies because there might not be new ones by the time you are ready to return home. Don’t let the travel time deter you though because once you’ve landed, you’ll dive right into your program and your summer will fly by in a blur of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and adrenaline rushes.

Longer programs allow you to settle into your new home at a slower, deeper pace. Spending up to a year in Queenstown will give you the opportunity to live like the locals do and learn more about the intricacies of local culture and traditions. There are several program options that help students enroll in a local school for a semester, trimester, or whole year. Find out how high school differs for Kiwi teens versus North American teens during your high school exchange program.

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Latest Program Reviews

Volunteering abroad in Australia

October 22, 2019by: Bryn Pierce - United StatesProgram: Travel For Teens: Australia and New Zealand Service

Starting off, I would recommend any TFT trip. They are a very experienced company with staff that are very organized and familiar with the countries that you are visiting. This Australia and New Zealand trip had the perfect amount of volunteering time as well as excursions to have fun with. We had about 20 hours of volunteer service where we helped at a non-profit animal center. Aside from these hours, we would take trips to waterfalls and beaches to relax, but also immerse ourselves into the culture. We were able to visit small markets and farms as well as iconic sights such as the Sydney Oprah House. Travel for Teens has given me new experiences worldwide that I definitely would not have been able to plan or do by myself.

Best three weeks ever!

September 25, 2019by: Alaina no - United StatesProgram: Travel For Teens: Australia and New Zealand Service

In the Summer of 2018, I had the amazing opportunity of traveling to Australia and New Zealand. It was absolutely amazing. I got to do once-in-a-lifetime activities such as scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef and the Sydney Bridge Climb. These are memories that I will never forgot. I had the most amazing counselors and met friends that I still keep in touch with. There was not a day that I did not love. If you have the opportunity to do this, you should, I can guarantee that you will not regret it.