Join us
Become a Member
Membership of the Quail Island Ecological Restoration Trust is $40 a year for individuals or $60 a year for families. Membership fees help to fund our conservation work, and we will keep you up to date with our work in regular newsletters.
Interested? Fill in our Online membership form.
Please pay your membership fee by direct credit to the Otamahua/Quail Island Ecological Restoration Trust, bank account number 02 0864 0071578 02. Please include your name in the particulars field and write membership in the reference field.
Become a Volunteer
The Trust is often looking for people to join them in their conservation efforts - both on and off the island. If you are interested in working on the island or providing services or professional assistance in your area of expertise, please complete the Online Volunteer Form. You don't have to be a member to come on a volunteer day on the island, but please consider becoming one to support our conservation work.
Information for Volunteers
We hold workdays on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month, and plant trees every Saturday and Sunday for the first four weeks in August.
Volunteers intending to participate on workdays and/or planting days must book ahead with Ian McLennan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 0273 928 047 or via our Online Volunteer Form. Club and business groups are welcome to come as a group but numbers cannot exceed 15 maximum.
| The ferry leaves from the Black Cat wharf in Lyttelton. Park in Lyttelton township and walk over the main over bridge at the bottom of Oxford St. The ferry wharf is on the left - take the steps down from the top of the bridge. | |||
| The ferry departure time is usually 10:15am. We will confirm any change to the departure time when you make your booking. Please be on the wharf 15 minutes before departure time. The ferry returns from Quail Island at 3:30pm. | |||
| A reasonable level of fitness is required, as the island is steep and we often work away from formed tracks. Please check the weather forecast and dress appropriately. Warm clothes and a waterproof jacket are recommended equipment at any time of the year, and long trousers and tramping gaiters are useful to avoid being scratched by thistles and thorns. The tracks are often muddy, so you will need boots, shoes or gumboots with a good grip. | |||
| Tools are provided, but please bring your own gardening gloves if you have them. | |||
| Bring your own lunch. The water on the island is the same as Christchurch water, but please bring a water bottle in case we are a long way from a tap. |
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| Volunteer trips are generally not suitable for children under the age of 12 years, due to the physical nature of working all day on steep terrain, and the necessary use of weedkillers and poisons. Accompanied children are welcome on some trips, particularly during the planting season, so please contact us for more information. | |||
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Trips may be cancelled if there is a severe weather forecast, or if the ferry company consider that they are unable to make the journey safely. If the weather is against us, an e mail or text will be circulated before 7am advising of the cancellation, so please check before you leave home.
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| Trips are meant to be social and fun. We normally finish work at 2pm, allowing you enough time to enjoy the island at your own pace before the ferry arrives. | |||
| We look forward to sharing time on the island with you! |
