New Zealand
Supported Gap Year
Adventure • Independence • Life Skills • Community • Direction
What's the vibe?
For the young adult looking for a structured, supported gap year in New Zealand, this program offers a grounded, adventure-filled experience designed to build confidence, independence, and momentum into adulthood.
Upcoming Program Dates
Spring Semester
February 12 - April 22, 2027
10-Weeks: $25,000
Fall Semester
Sept 17- Nov 25, 2027
10-Weeks: $25,000
Fall Mini-Semester
October 15- Nov 25, 2027
6-Weeks: $17,000
Young Adults, All Gender
Ages 18 - 23 Years Old
Groups of 8-11
Queenstown, New Zealand
(South Island)
See our TESTIMONIALS and REVIEWS!
Download the
Program Booklet
YOU LIVE HERE
On our New Zealand gap year, we live in a gorgeous country lodge surrounded by mountains, with horses, sheep, chickens, and Frank—the neighbor’s dog and unofficial RLA mascot—regularly stopping by. We have huge lawns, cozy living rooms, a big kitchen, a veggie garden, and, most importantly, a hot tub waiting after a full day of adventure. And we’re only 10 minutes from Queenstown—close enough for town, far enough away to feel like we’re living in our own little slice of New Zealand.
YOU DO EPIC ADVENTURES
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park • Milford Sound Boat Cruise • Glow Worm Caves
White Water Rafting • Mountain Biking • Canyoning & Rappelling Waterfalls • Luging
10 Breathtaking Day Hikes • Lord of the Rings Filming Sites • Kayaking • Rock Climbing • Bee
Keeping • Sheep Farm Tours • Maori Culture • See Live Kiwis • and more!
YOU FIGURE YOUR LIFE OUT
Adulting 101 Life Skills Learning • Community Volunteer Project •
Sheep Farm and Entrepreneurship Internship • Wellness and Life Skills Workshops •
College and Career Planning • Individual 1-1 Coaching • Professional Development
Why Rooted Life Adventures New Zealand Gap Year Program is the Perfect Choice for You
Why Do Most Students Choose Us?
Honestly, it’s pretty simple. Most students come to us because:
- New Zealand has always been on their bucket list. And why not? It’s absolutely stunning, safe, and full of amazing things to see and do.
- They want to spend time abroad. Who doesn’t dream of escaping their usual routine for a few months and diving into a whole new culture?
- Living in a house with friends sounds awesome. You’ll share meals, adventures, and maybe even a few late-night chats about life.
- They want variety. From outdoor adventures and cultural experiences to internships and volunteering. As a result, no two weeks are the same.
- Adventure without roughing it? Yes, please! Spend your days exploring and your evenings relaxing in a cozy home. While having all the comforts.
- Internships and volunteering sound fun AND productive. You’ll actually do things that matter. Furthermore, you will feel good about it.
- They’re curious about other cultures. New Zealand is vibrant, welcoming, and packed with unique traditions to explore.
- Students are ready to live independently. Cooking, budgeting and laundry. Most importantly, you’ll nail those life skills while gaining confidence.
- It’s a chance to figure things out. Taking some time to reflect on what you want in life while surrounded by beauty and support? Yes, please.
- Take a break from school. Recharge your batteries, and when you're ready, you'll be unstoppable.
- Students want a little more support than the average program offers, but not too much. Many families come to us after considering therapeutic gap years, but are seeking a non-clinical, supportive alternative for their young adult. Furthermore, they just want a fun gap year program with mental health support built in through coaching, community, and daily check-ins
Practical Reasons to Choose our New Zealand Gap Year Program
- You’ll get out of the house. Enough said.
- Live in another country and learn a new way of life. In the hope that you expand your world and your perspective.
- Try new things—constantly. Whether it’s canyoning, luging, or panning for gold. Undoubtedly, there’s always something new and exciting.
- Gain professional experience with a real internship. How many people can say they worked on a sheep farm in New Zealand?
- Rack up 60 hours of community service. Make a difference and grow as a person. As a result, feel good about giving back.
- Learn to live independently. Cooking? Cleaning? Budgeting? You’ll have it all down by the end.
- Go on epic adventures with a group of friends. These are the stories you’ll tell for years to come.
- Have incredible mentors who actually care about you. You’re not just a number here; you’re part of the family.
- Get unstuck. Discover more about yourself and the world, so you can create a clear path forward.
- See most of New Zealand’s South Island. This is a once-in-a-lifetime itinerary that covers all the must-see spots.
- Make lifelong friends. The kind who will still be there for you when you’re reminiscing about that one time in New Zealand.
- Have bucket-list experiences and epic stories. Glowworm caves, kayaking, and Lord of the Rings film sites? There's something for everyone.
- Enjoy a structured schedule. With a mix of productivity and fun, every day feels fulfilling.
- Keep your therapist in the loop. You won’t have to pause your progress; we make sure your care continues seamlessly.
- Work with mentors who will help you 1-1 to dream up and plan your next life steps according to your strengths and interests. What's more, they will be there to give mental health support if you need it. We all have tough days.
Rooted Life Adventures’ New Zealand Gap Year program isn’t just a trip. It’s a chance to hit reset, rediscover yourself, and create memories you’ll cherish forever.
Our Weekly Schedule
Our programs have a weekly schedule with each day designed to develop our students' sense of self, belonging, capability and purpose.
Sunday
Life Skills Day
Our home...
is located in beautiful Queenstown, a mountain resort located in the South Island. We all live together in a shared home and are all equally responsible for taking care of both the house, and of ourselves. One day a week we deep clean the house, do laundry, create a meal plan for the week, go grocery shopping and learn to manage a budget. Furthermore, we prep and cook in the kitchen and prepare for the week ahead. In summary, we learn to live independently.
Monday
Volunteer Day
Each week...
participants will volunteer with Baskets of Blessing, a New Zealand nonprofit that supports families in need by providing essentials like food and hygiene products. Students will help assemble and distribute care packages, gaining hands-on experience in community service. What's more, they will foster empathy and social responsibility through direct community engagement.
Tuesday
Internship Day on Sheep Farm - How to Start a Business 101
Our students...
complete an internship with Real Country NZ. Each week, they dive into hands-on learning at a working sheep farm — from changing a tire to jumping a car, and caring for the land and animals. Alongside these practical skills, they participate in ‘How to Start a Business 101,’ using the farm as a case study. Each student develops one business idea and applies what they learn each week to make it actionable and real by the end of the internship, giving them practical next steps and a foundation for career exploration.
Wednesday
Wellness Day
3 things...
(1) Any student who is seeing a therapist form back home has the option to continue to see their therapist through tele-health in the morning
(2) Our Wellness Coach leads a weekly workshop
(3) Personal Development hours: we head to an office space and students spend 2 hours planning their future- working on college applications, resumes, job hunting, planning future travel etc. all with staff to guide them, proof read, and brainstorm.
Thursday
Cultural Immersion
We curate...
intentional cultural immersion activities where students can learn about diverse values, worldviews, skills, and life habits. Through this, students expand their worldview and enjoy a global perspective and new lens to view their lives at home. This includes learning about the native Māori culture as well as the modern-day Kiwi. Students learn about the history of bungy jumping, history of jade and gold panning in Arrowtown. Finally, with any spare time we explore the local region.
Friday
Adventure Excursion
There's a reason...
we host our New Zealand program in Queenstown, it's widely known as the Adventure Capital of the World! There are a myriad of adventure opportunities to take part in, and we work our way through the long list of activities by dedicating two days a week to this subject. Without doubt, adventure is a brilliant way to push students out of their comfort zone, test capabilities and expand their horizons.
Saturday
Adventure Excursion
Some of the...
adventures we take part in are jet boating, biking, boat cruising, glow worm cave exploring, rock climbing, stargazing, rappelling waterfalls, hiking back country terrain, swimming, rafting and frisbee golf. There's also the opportunity to take part in further, more 'extreme', activities if the student would like to - such as Bungy Jumping! Fun fact - Queenstown is home to the world's first Bungy Jumping location!
Have a Look at the Gallery
Our New Zealand Gap Year Program uses
8 Components to create lasting change:
Independent Living Skills
Students and instructors fly together to gorgeous Queenstown, New Zealand, where they arrive at the place that will become their new home for the next ten weeks. From day one, we all live together — alongside two Program Instructors and our Wellness Director — in one of the most breathtaking settings imaginable. Our home is nestled in the hillside and offers a truly stunning view. Just minutes away, you’ll find three crystal-clear lakes, endless trails, and the towering Remarkables Mountain Range.
One of the most important components of our program is helping students build the confidence and skills to live independently, away from home. To support this, one day each week is dedicated to life skills — including cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, budgeting, and cooking. Throughout the program, students learn how to share a home, be thoughtful roommates, and take responsibility for everyday household tasks.
In practice, that means hands-on experience: cleaning tutorials, rotating cooking teams, and a collaborative approach to running the house. Students are split into cooking groups and take on the full process — from meal planning and grocery list creation to shopping, budgeting, and passing the torch to the next team. As a result, each evening, the group comes together to cook dinner (with music playing, of course), discover the joy of preparing meals, and sit down for a big, shared “family” dinner.
Community
This is a key element of our New Zealand Gap Year Program — creating one of the most crucial lifelong skills every student needs: the ability to live and thrive in a shared environment.
By living together in a house, students naturally engage in conflict resolution, problem-solving, empathy, and communication. Beyond that, this environment fosters close peer-to-peer learning and builds a sense of belonging through shared contribution to a supportive community. Importantly, our program is mostly technology-free, offering students a much-needed break from screens and creating space for meaningful, face-to-face connection.
Each day, the group heads out as a team, taking on new adventures and challenges. Then, every evening, students gather to share affirmations — celebrating one another for the day’s efforts and growth. Afterwards, the energy shifts to evening games, dancing, karaoke nights, and hilarious storytelling from earlier that day.
To encourage leadership and accountability, we also implement a rotating “captain of the day” role and organize students into small groups for discussion and reflection. At times, our instructors lead group games like capture the flag in the backyard, or — after a packed day — the group relaxes by the pool together.
By the end of the program, students have formed deep, meaningful friendships that often last well beyond their time in New Zealand. More than just a trip, this experience lays the foundation for personal growth, lifelong connection, and the confidence to step into what's next.
Community Volunteering
Each week, participants will volunteer with Baskets of Blessing, a New Zealand nonprofit that supports families in need by providing essentials like food and hygiene products. They’ll help assemble and distribute care packages, gaining hands-on experience in community service and fostering empathy and social responsibility through direct community engagement. Students give back to the local community and create a sense of belonging in the world. Additionally, our students head back with a 50 Volunteer Hours certificate.
Adventure Excursions
Queenstown is famously known as the "Adventure Capital of the World". Our New Zealand Gap Year program is based here, and offers opportunities with hiking and bike trails, zip lining, canyoning, rafting, luging, bungy jumping, parasailing, jet boating, rock climbing, and skydiving... amongst an abundance of others. Queenstown offers outdoor adventure like you have never seen before.
This program offers a range of thrilling adventures to excite, to challenge, build new capabilities, gain confidence, and make for some really good stories! Altogether there are two adventure days weekly and include:
- Canyoning and waterfall rappelling
- Jet boating through Shotover Canyon
- Explore Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, home to Australasia's highest peak
- Milford Sound boat cruise - discover the 'Eighth Wonder of the World"!
- Rock Climbing in Wanaka
- Luging at Skyline, with the vista of Queenstown and the Wakatipu below
- Hike Roy's Peak, Queenstown Hill, and the Moonlight Trek
- Stargaze at Skyline, in Queenstown. Snug up warm, tuck into a hot chocolate and be guided on a tour of the night sky above.
In fact, there are various options available, suitable for a range of abilities and confidence.
Cultural Immersion
We partner with local organisations to curate intentional cultural immersion experiences, where students engage with diverse values, worldviews, and life stories. Through these experiences, students expand their perspectives, develop a more global mindset, and often return home with a deeper appreciation for their own lives.
As part of this journey, we learn about New Zealand's Māori culture, which spans nearly 800 years. Specifically, we are introduced to Ngāi Tahu, the South Island’s largest iwi (tribe) in modern-day Aotearoa. Throughout the experience, we share Māori legends — captivating stories that offer unique insights into origins, nature, and the creation of the earth. Students also explore the art of storytelling and are introduced to te reo Māori, the Polynesian language of the Māori people.
In addition, we explore the more recent colonial history of New Zealand, beginning with the arrival of European pioneers in the early 1800s. These settlers established communities throughout the Whakatipu Basin — and shortly after, gold was discovered in Central Otago. To bring this era to life, we visit preserved miner’s huts, uncover historic relics, and even try our hand at gold panning.
Undoubtedly, this region of New Zealand holds a rich and diverse history. And through it all, we take you on an exciting, hands-on journey to discover as much of it as you can — connecting the past with your own evolving perspective of the world.
Wellness Day
Each week in New Zealand, we dedicate a full day to wellness and personal growth. It’s a chance for students to pause, reflect, and invest in themselves. Wellness Day is built around three key parts:
1. Telehealth with your Therapist (Optional)
For students who are already seeing a therapist back home, we make it easy to continue that connection while abroad. We’ll help coordinate time zone differences, communicate with your therapist to create a coaching and care plan, and provide a quiet space and reliable Wi-Fi for your tele-health session. Participation is completely optional, we simply make space for it if it’s part of your ongoing support.
2. Weekly Wellness Workshop
Led by our Wellness Coach, these workshops explore personal and interpersonal growth topics such as leadership styles, communication skills, conflict resolution, goal setting, and emotional awareness. Each session is engaging, discussion-based, and designed to help students build self-awareness, confidence, and essential skills for thriving independently and in community.
3. Personal/ Professional Development Hours
In the afternoon, we move into “future planning mode.” Students head to an office workspace with staff support to work on college applications, resumes, job searches, or future travel plans. We review essays, proofread resumes, collect transcripts, brainstorm next steps, and help students create a clear action plan for what comes next.
Many students also use this time to explore the possibility of staying in New Zealand after the program on a Working Holiday Visa. We’ll walk you through the visa process, help prepare your resume and cover letter for local employers, and even support your job search and housing search in Queenstown. For those who decide to stay, we offer an Extended Transition Package that includes on-the-ground assistance and weekly check-ins as you settle into independent living and work abroad.
Internship
One day each week, students work with Real Country Farm — a private rural sheep station located just south of Queenstown. Kingston Station spans 22,000 acres and operates as a working sheep and beef farm, a farming training institute, and an agri-tourism experience provider. With its rich history and inspiring story, it offers students a unique window into rural New Zealand life.
Through this partnership, students gain an authentic Southland farm experience that combines practical skills with entrepreneurship and career exploration. On the farm, students learn hands-on skills like changing a tire, jumping a car, caring for the land, and looking after animals.
Alongside practical skills, students participate in “How to Start a Business 101,” using the farm as a case study. Each student develops one business idea — a simple, practical model based on their unique gifts, skills, and interests, and how they could use those to benefit the world. Each week, they apply lessons learned on the farm and in business to make that idea actionable, whether it could become a side hustle, a full-time career, or simply a meaningful exercise in defining their dream life.
This internship is about helping students dream past the normal path. Maybe their dream job is already out there — maybe it’s waiting for them to invent it. Entrepreneurship is more accessible today than ever, and we guide students through practical exercises that help them figure out who they are, how they fit into the world, and how they can turn their strengths and passions into a career they’ll truly love and find fulfilling.
Working alongside Laura and her team, students gain local wisdom, guidance, and encouragement as they navigate both the hands-on farm work and their personal business projects.
By the end of the program, students complete 50 hours of hands-on experience and receive a certificate of completion — a tangible recognition of their practical skills. More importantly, they walk away with practical next steps to turn their business idea into a reality, equipped to take real action toward a career or project they’re excited about.
Wrap-around support is achieved by bringing all student supports into the experience.
On site Wellness Director
An on-site therapist serves as our Wellness Director and lives 24/7 with the students for the entirety of the program. The Wellness Director supports the group’s program journey by integrating intentional wellness practices into the daily routine, they also facilitate weekly group core sessions and wellness workshops. They do not provide any clinical or medical services. However, they will coordinate weekly with each family's home therapist to facilitate each student's individual growth.
At-home family talk Therapist
We partner with families at-home therapists. Families have already spent time and careful attention in selecting the right clinical therapist for them, someone they have been diligently working with, and knows the student well. For this reason, this person is the best person to both support the student throughout the program, and when reintegrating back home afterwards. The student’s therapist will be contacted by our team prior to the program starting and they will be intimately involved throughout the intake and goal setting process. One full day per week is reserved for student wellness practices, during which each student will have a virtual appointment with their at-home therapist to discuss their program experience, learning, challenges, and goals. Furthermore, our program’s Wellness Director will be in contact with each student’s home therapist for holistic care and to fully support each individual student’s journey.
Program Instructors
Each program has two instructors who are experts in experiential education and travel, they live with the group for the entire program. These instructors participate in every activity with the students and help them work towards the program goals. Ultimately, they provide consistent individual and group support.
Peer group support
Lastly, peer to peer learning and support is key for personal development. Students group together throughout the program for sessions on self-learning, discussion, and accountability.
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