While many teenagers are making the most of their final week of school holidays, New Zealand's elite young water-skiers are training with a top American coach to try and make the cut for the world champs in Spain.
The catch is they have to put up with an audience of cows while they work the water.
The country's top under-17 water-skiers are in training on an irrigation pond at an isolated farm in mid-Canterbury, complete with cows watching on from the banks.
The irrigation pond is still in full use on the farm. It was converted around 10 years ago after the owner's children also showed a keen interest in water-skiing.
Organisers say its secluded location and having exclusive use makes it perfect and lets the teens work their magic on the water.
American coach Cole Kalkbrenner has made the trip from the US to intensively train the squad before six are selected for the Junior World Tournament Water-skiing Championships in Spain later this year.
And Mr Kalkbrenner is impressed with the Kiwi squad, which will keep training until the end of the week.
"Their attitude is what sets them apart, in my opinion. And the results on the water, it shows," he said.
As for the teen water-skiers, they find the cows "smell a bit" and sometimes see them drinking out of the irrigation pond.
But it would all be worth it to make the team for Spain, which will be revealed in April.
"It would be awesome to go all the way over there and ski for the country," said one young man.
SHARE ME