| Day 1 |
Depart London. |
| Day 2 |
In-flight |
| Day 3 |
Arrive Auckland.Transfer to your hotel in the heart of Auckland’s downtown waterfront area. Bedrooms will be available for immediate occupancy.Breakfast in the hotel.Morning and lunch at leisure. Afternoon/early evening walk around the harbour area. Dinner in the hotel. |
| Day 4 |
Fly to Rotorua in the centre of the North Island. Transfer to Ruatahuna (2 hours). Meet up with our outfitters for a briefing on the next 5 days trail riding in the Te Urewera Wilderness. This is the heart of Maori country and you will experience their customs, including staying in traditional Maori Meeting Houses and meet members of the local Tuhoe tribe, also known as ‘The Children of the Mist’ tribe. After lunch select your horses and try out the Australian stock saddles. Dinner and overnight at the local Maori Meeting House.Accommodation is in dormitories with shared facilities. |
| Day 5 |
After breakfast it’s into your saddles for an easy 4 – 5 ride to Tawhiwhi Camp in the Te Urewera Wilderness.Picnic lunch en route. Your gear will be taken to the tented camp. Help with corralling the horses and camp chores are always fun and welcomed.Dinner around the campfire. |
| Day 6 |
After breakfast it’s 5 – 6 hours riding over open savannah type plains and crossing the Whakatane River to the remote and peaceful Hanamahihi Flat where camp will be set up. Picnic lunch en route and dinner under the stars. |
| Day 7 |
Breakfast in camp. Today it’s 6 – 7 hours riding over bushclad ranges to Waikarehenua with fabulous panoramic views . Picnic lunch en route. Set up camp. Dinner around the camp fire. |
| Day 8 |
Breakfast in camp. Ride for 5 – 6 hours on a high plateau above the Whakatane River to the Ohaua-Te-Rangi Maori Meeting House. Picnic lunch en route. Dinner and overnight at the traditional Maori Meeting House in dormitories with shared facilities. |
| Day 9 |
After breakfast it’s a final 5 – 6 hour ride back to Ruatahuna via the remote Te Kopua look out. Picnic lunch en route. After a farewell to your horses transfer to Rotorua. Dinner and overnight in a hotel. |
| Day 10 |
Early breakfast in the hotel.Fly to Christchurch on the South Island. Transfer to Hanmer Springs (2 hours) to meet up with our outfitters. Lunch and briefing on the forthcoming 8-day challenging ride from the mountains to the sea, before choosing your horse. This is an ultimate high country ride – over mountain ranges and high plains where you will see some of New Zealand’s largest working sheep and cattle stations, and ride through valleys and forests and across deep rivers to finally reach the rugged coastline of the Pacific Ocean. Dinner and overnight at a farm stay. |
| Day 11 |
After breakfast saddle up and load the packhorses, and then it’s 5 – 6 hours riding over the Hanmer Range via Jollies Pass and into the Clarence River Valley and then down to the Clarence River to set up camp. Picnic lunch en route. Help corral the horses and pitch camp and then relax around the camp fire and enjoy supper under the stars. |
| Day 12 |
After an early breakfast break camp and start the 6 – 7 ride following the Molesworth cattle tack along the Clarence River, crossing it a couple of times before reaching Stoat Creek. It’s a steep pull out of Stoat Creek and through Bullen’s Hills to Cloudy Range. Lunch en route. Overnight either in tents or the Musterers’ hut. Dinner around the campfire. |
| Day 13 |
It’s another early breakfast and start for the 7 – 8 hours ride to Willow’s Hut on the Clarence Reserve, crossing the Clarence River up to 4 times today.There is an opportunity for a lunchtime swim before climbing over a pass and dropping down to the Gore Stream and the Willow Hut. Overnight either in the Musterers’ hut, tented camp or in swags under the star-lit skies. Dinner around the campfire. |
| Day 14 |
After breakfast ride up onto and across a vast area of rolling fells before dropping down to Herring Stream and then back up over the hills, crossing the Clarence River a couple of times before riding out to the remote Muzzle Station where there is bunkhouse accommodation with showers. Lunch en route.Dinner at the Station. |
| Day 15 |
Breakfast at the Station. Pending the river conditions and being able to keep to schedule, today offers the chance to either have a rest day or do some local riding out from the Station. All meals included. |
| Day 16 |
After breakfast retrace the route back to the Herring Stream and then follow the river upstream into the Seaward Kaikoura Range passing some awesome rock formations. It’s a 6 – 7 hours ride to reach Black Rock Creek hut where camp can be set up. Lunch en route. Dinner in camp. Tented accommodation or swags. |
| Day 17 |
An early breakfast and then it’s off for an 8 hour ride across the Kaikoura Range with spectacular views of the Clarence Valley, the Kahutara River, the sea and the first hint of civilisation. Concentration, skill and confidence is needed along the Kahutara Saddle where it’s a sheer drop on either side! Finally it’s down the valley to a farmstead. Lunch en route. Dinner and overnight at Kahutara Farm. |
| Day 18 |
Breakfast at the farm. It’s 4 – 5 hours riding today following the Kahutara River and along the beach, with a chance of seeing whales, before climbing over the hill to Kaikoura. Lunch en route.Farewell dinner and overnight in a hotel in Kaikoura. |
| Day 19 |
Breakfast in the hotel. Morning and lunch at leisure. It’s time to bid farewell to your horses, hosts and Kiwi adventure.Transfer to Christchurch and fly to Auckland and onto London. |
| Day 20 |
Arrive London. |
