Summer internship in New Zealand
For your opportunity to complete a summer internship with a family business, adventure tourism company, based in New Zealand's South Island, email your CV and cover letter to info@pelorusecoadventures.co.nz.
Read more about applying for an internship and what to expect below.
We offer a variety of jobs that involve reception work, housekeeping, preparation and support of kayaking trips, dealing with suppliers, system maintenance, write a blog, market research, photo editing and social media, writing management plans, event organisation, driving shuttles, occasional child-minding, gardening and general help.
This is a chance of a lifetime to experience and creatively take part in a growing business!
We provide accommodation, free use of all facilities (WiFi, laundry, mountain bikes, etc.).
Occasional use of vehicle possible to go to bigger cities in the area.
Free kayaking trips and access to walking trails; Discounts for other activities possible.
Ride horses in the natural forest and rivers.
Living in a beautiful green environment amidst hills, rivers and the ocean.
Living at the lodge meeting travellers, making friends with people from all over the world.
Working with a kiwi family, learn about the culture and local activities, go hunting and fishing.
Learn not only about tourism and business, but also about general living, cooking, gardening, etc.
We are looking for motivated business or tourism students who can:
- stay at least three months
- speak, write and understand English well
- communicate well
- have an international driver’s license
- be flexible about working hours and tasks
- take responsibilities, be reliable
- deal with customers on a daily basis in a friendly and open-minded manner
- behave professionally with co-workers, clients and suppliers
- bring a laptop for independent working
We are a kiwi family with three children (3, 6 and 8 years old).
We run two small family businesses: Blue Moon Lodge (Backpacker Hostel) and Pelorus Eco Adventures (Kayaking trips on the Pelorus River where the Hobbit was filmed).
We are located in scenic Havelock, Marlborough Sounds, South Island of New Zealand.
We are Outdoor lovers, easy-going and simple lifestyle!
EU-citizens (At least Austria, Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands) are required to apply for a
work visa.
For the application, you need to provide: documents from your university stating the necessity of the
internship, letter/statement from the faculty with the dates of your internship, evidence of your
financial situation (around $1000 NZ/month) and your passport has to be valid for at least 3 months
after you leave New Zealand.
Please contact us if you are interested:
Shane and Asha McKay
Phone: +64211408204, E-Mail: peloruseco@gmail.com
Skype-account: asha.mckay1
Intern Experience

Working in Paradise!
My home country is Germany and I came to New Zealand to study and to do an internship in tourism. The latter took place in Havelock. On the map, it’s a small town at the northern tip of the South Island. In my memory, it’s a dreamy place with breathtaking scenery, many magic places to discover and many fun outdoor activities to experience!
The Blue Moon Lodge was my home and workplace for 21 weeks. My main responsibilities were reception and housekeeping duties. That included, e.g., managing bookings, being the contact person for guests, managing payments and making sure the lodge is always in good shape. Apart from that, I engaged in the kayaking operation including gear preparation, driving and marketing activities such as social media photo postings. There were always jobs to do. Shane & Asha gave me a lot of freedom and trust regarding time and task management. That allowed flexible working, independent decision-making and creative problem-solving.
I enjoyed living in the lodge in terms of meeting new people from all over the world, eating fresh veg from the garden and sunbathing on the veranda with the best view. In my free time, I took one of the bikes to ride to the lookout nearby, went for a bush walk along the Pelorus River or watched glow worms in the dark near the local waterfall. I went paragliding, horse riding and kayaking! Nelson, Blenheim and Picton are the bigger towns that I went to for shopping etc. It is truly a beautiful spot on earth. See for yourself!

An amazing Kiwi experience
I came all the way to New Zealand from The Netherlands to do the internship at Pelorus Eco Adventures. I study at university in Amsterdam and really wanted to experience working and living abroad. Beforehand, I just kinda checked out where Havelock was in New Zealand and what there was to do around there. But it really exceeded all my expectations. The small town is cozy and breathtaking at the same time. There are amazing people all over, the scenery is beautiful and anything is possible!
Living in the lodge was quite cool, since I met people from all over the world that will be friends for a lifetime. The veranda has an amazing view en the town of Havelock is close to a few cities and lots of green. The Pelorus River is both beautiful and fun. Once, I went for a walk to an old goldmine, which turned into a true hike, with rivers and waterfalls to cross. An awesome adventure and just a few minutes away from my workplace! (We never found the goldmine btw.. haha ) Other highlights were horse riding in the bush, jumping out of a plane during my skydive and shooting some guns NZ style.
My work was quite simple for Dutch standards of university; it consisted mainly of managing the lodge, making bookings, managing reception, housekeeping and preparing and driving the kayak-trips (that was so much fun!). Apart from the ‘usual’ work, it is mandatory for a Dutch uni student to do a large, assignment for the company. Shane & Asha wanted me to create a marketing plan to attract a new target group for the kayaking trips, and this is what I spent a lot of time on. Shane & Asha are true Kiwi’s and give a lot of freedom and trust to their employees, which is great!
Because of this, flexible working is possible and you can make independent decisions.
Overall, NZ is a magical and amazing place where you will find so much more then you ever thought
to look for!