Just what the Dr ordered

Two weeks away from the tourist trail was a great break and a chance to recharge. In exchange for about 5 hours of work a day we got to stay in a little flat with views of the Akaroa harbour. It took a while to get used to the idea of waking up to an alarm again but we really enjoyed helping out at the lodge. We started every day by feeding the birds and then doing a quick walk through the grounds, cleaning the peacock poo off the decks. We did quite a lot of work in the gardens and I endured a 2 day weed-eating marathon. We made beds, cleaned windows and fed the cows. We joined a grape and grain tasting and I played a game of paintball (who knew shooting kiwi's could be that much fun). We met 1 of the classic characters of our trip so far - the donkey, who looks exactly like the noble steed from Shrek and is just as funny. He takes the cows for a run every afternoon and when you enter his paddock he comes sprinting over to see you.