Emily at the Halo Project

“As I was an online student for two years and only moved to Dunedin a few months ago, I was excited to get out of my shell and be involved in volunteering activities.”

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to help the Halo Project team in repotting 20,000 seedlings at their nursery in Pūrākaunui. As I was an online student for two years and only moved to Dunedin a few months ago, I was excited to get out of my shell and be involved in volunteering activities. Back home, I’ve only volunteered for beach cleanups, so repotting plants sounded fascinating to me. I was also curious as I’ve never been to Pūrākaunui - sometimes being an international student is hard since you don’t have your own transport and some places aren’t as easily accessible. 

We gathered around at 9 a.m., which is pretty early for me, since I’m not a morning person admittedly. Five other students joined me, and it was great to meet another fellow international student as well! The drive up to the nursery was enjoyable - the breeze was cool,  and the blue sea stretched out for miles. Soon we were greeted with giant trees and rolling hills as we pulled into the farm. We were shown around the area and our working stations, and we got to work immediately.

After a few hours, we decided to take a break and head outside for lunch. The weather was just perfect, and we had some chips, candy, and tea while getting to know each other and enjoying the postcard view. We also slathered on the sunscreen since it was very sunny, and played some music to lift the mood. When lunch break was over, we went back to our stations and worked for a few more hours. Before we knew it, it was almost 4 p.m., time to clean up and get going. Our repotting skills are now well-honed and I’m glad I took up this great volunteering opportunity at the Halo Project nursery and meet new people!