I recently spent 12 days on a farm near Levin exchanging work for accommodation. The owner, Beverley runs a mobile petting zoo. She has 3 donkeys, 2 miniature ponies, about 15 goats, 5 sheep, 2 hogs, roughly 15 guinea pigs, 8 or so rabbits, and too many ducks and chickens to count. Her operation was in high gear before she got sick the third night I stayed with her. She had diverticulitis, a intestinal infection. She essentially left me in charge of her farm for 6 nights while she rested in the hospital. I have not been around livestock much, and one of her goats was due for a baby. I was a little worried about having a goat kid on my hands. I corresponded with Beverly through text messages and the week went smoothly. She had other couchsurfers coming to her house and I was the host for them, at a farm where I was a guest!
When Beverley returned home, she was supposed to go to two parties in Wellington, but she was too weak to drive. I volunteered to drive the animals and I had help from Jonathan, a local kid who has helped her in the past. We got lost on the way to the first party, but I should have known not to follow the GPS, it told us to take the shortcut, which included many mountain roads. The parties went on without a hitch, everyone was happy. We had one sheep, one goat, 2 bunnies, 2 chickens, and 7 guinea pigs stuffed into the back of her box truck. All of us made it home safe. Beverley was a great host, I would have stayed longer, but I had to go back to Auckland to do another blood test for immigration. Beverley also moonlights as a belly dance instructor. Check out her websites at
http://www.zippityzoo.co.nz/ and
http://www.moonjellybellydance.co.nz/
I recently spent 12 days on a farm near Levin exchanging work for accommodation. The owner, Beverley runs a mobile petting zoo. She has 3 donkeys, 2 miniature ponies, about 15 goats, 5 sheep, 2 hogs, roughly 15 guinea pigs, 8 or so rabbits, and too many ducks and chickens to count. Her operation was in high gear before she got sick the third night I stayed with her. She had diverticulitis, a intestinal infection. She essentially left me in charge of her farm for 6 nights while she rested in the hospital. I have not been around livestock much, and one of her goats was due for a baby. I was a little worried about having a goat kid on my hands. I corresponded with Beverly through text messages and the week went smoothly. She had other couchsurfers coming to her house and I was the host for them, at a farm where I was a guest! 
When Beverley returned home, she was supposed to go to two parties in Wellington, but she was too weak to drive. I volunteered to drive the animals and I had help from Jonathan, a local kid who has helped her in the past. We got lost on the way to the first party, but I should have known not to follow the GPS, it told us to take the shortcut, which included many mountain roads. The parties went on without a hitch, everyone was happy. We had one sheep, one goat, 2 bunnies, 2 chickens, and 7 guinea pigs stuffed into the back of her box truck. All of us made it home safe. Beverley was a great host, I would have stayed longer, but I had to go back to Auckland to do another blood test for immigration. Beverley also moonlights as a belly dance instructor. Check out her websites at http://www.zippityzoo.co.nz/ and http://www.moonjellybellydance.co.nz/ 
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