Hooray! Your adventure in New Zealand is about to begin! This morning you’ll be picked up from your accommodation in Taupo at 9.30am and driven to River Valley Lodge. Your host, Nicola, has lived in River Valley her whole life, and her family has been running the business for five generations. Along the way you’ll have the chance to purchase any last minute supplies, alcohol if you’d like and a tasty lunch for the day ahead (lunch today is not included in the ride price).

Once you reach the stables, you’ll meet your guides, be introduced to the horse that will be your partner for the next week, and get a briefing on the trip ahead. Today is about getting to know your horse, building a connection, feeling comfortable with one another and understanding the principles of riding your horse in a rope halter. To begin with, you’ll spend some time working together on the ground, then you’ll ride out over River Valley. After a beautiful day’s riding, you’ll feel connected and confident in the saddle.

Over a dinner of home-grown meat and vegetables, you’ll enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of River Valley Lodge and get to know your guides and fellow guests. By now your comfortable, cosy bed will be calling – make sure you get plenty of beauty sleep tonight, globetrotters!

After packing your lunch and filling up on a hearty breakfast at the lodge, everyone will head out to catch, groom, saddle and feed the horses together. This hands-on time strengthens your relationship with your horse and will form part of your trip each day (don’t worry, there’s always help on hand if you’re unsure of how to do anything). Mounting up, you will explore the beautiful countryside around River Valley for a full day, with a break for lunch in a beautiful spot along the trail.

Tonight is your last night at River Valley Lodge, so be sure to savour the family-style, locally grown and home cooked fare! Before bed this evening, you’ll pack what you need for camping, leaving anything you don’t need at the lodge – it will be transported to Tommy’s farm, ready for your arrival in a few days.

Getting into the morning rhythm, you’ll pack your lunch and enjoy a filling breakfast, then prepare your horse for the day ahead. Today’s ride is a picturesque journey through the local farmlands, crossing eight private properties before reaching Moawhango. Moawhango is a small country settlement with a rich history. Here you will get to meet some of the locals from both European and Maori cultures, who will share their love of the land and their ancestral stories with you.

Tonight you will be staying on the community’s marae {pictured above}, or meeting ground. The marae is the focal point of Māori communities throughout New Zealand, who see it as tūrangawaewae – their place to stand and belong. As a group, you will be welcomed onto the marae and experience the warm hospitality of the Maori people as you’re treated to a traditional Maori meal.

This morning you will wave goodbye to Moawhango and journey on for an adventurous day’s ride through the high country. You’ll cross Maunganui Station, as well as two more farms. This is private land where few tourists never get to set foot on, so lap it up, globetrotters! On top of that, you’re riding right on the edge of wild horse county, where the wild Kaimanawa horses roam. Finally, you’ll pull your horse up at Mark’s Woolshed and enjoy a seasonal summer barbecue beneath the magnificent volcano, Mount Ruapehu. Basic shower facilities will be available at the campsite should you wish to freshen up. As the stars twinkle in the night sky, you’ll snuggle down inside your tent and rest up for another epic day in the saddle.

After breakfast at Mark’s Woolshed, you’ll saddle up and spend the day riding through native bushland, swampland, manuka, tussock-covered hills and picture-perfect farmland, each mile laden with tales of early pioneering history. You’ll enjoy another picnic lunch along the way, and reach Lloyd’s Country Bar in the late afternoon.

This one-of-a-kind bar is situated on Lloyd’s farm – literally in the middle of a field where he grazes his sheep and cows. Tonight is ‘locals night’ and you’ll order dinner from the bar menu before sitting down with the locals (dinner is included in the ride price, but you’ll need to purchase your drinks). The people who live near Lloyd either own or work on nearby farms. This evening promises you a snapshot of genuine country culture as you share stories and laughs with Lloyd and his many friends! When you’ve had your fill at the bar, you’ll retire to your tent, washing off the day’s dust in the basic on-site shower if you so please.

As usual, the day will begin with a delicious breakfast and time spent bonding with your trusty trail horse as you prepare for the ride ahead. The journey continues through Lloyd’s farm, with spectacular views galore and ample opportunity to give your horse its head and canter across the farmland before stopping for a break at Toddy’s farm, another local farmer. From here, you and your horse will be transported by vehicle to the start of your ride through Atihau land. This is Tommy’s ancestral land, with over 50,000 hectares of land divided up into 10 farms. Tommy grew up in this country and has worked here all his life. He will guide you through this impressive, hilly country to bring you to your campsite at his home this evening. Dinner will be cooked over the campfire tonight, and you’ll share stories around the fire before once again bedding down in your tent.

*Due to the long hours in the saddle today and the kilometres needing to be covered to reach your campsite, your horses will be trucked a short distance so you don’t have to ride along the road. This will no doubt be a much welcome break for both horse and rider.

Today gets off to a leisurely start, with time to sit and watch the world go by, spend some quality time with your horse, or get involved in putting the hangi down (a traditional Maori feast steamed in the ground using hot rocks). Tommy’s campsite is the perfect place to enjoy outdoor living, especially as you get to stay here again tonight. There are outdoor toilet and shower facilities available on site. Later in the day, you will experience another side of Atihau land as you discover your surrounds on horseback, and in the evening you get to feast on the freshly steamed hangi! This is your last night, and you’ll no doubt share plenty of laughs, stories and memories with your fellow riders around the campfire!

Today will be a day to explore the bond you’ve made with your horse. Tommy’s place boasts plenty of natural and man-made obstacles around to play with from your horse’s back. This is a great opportunity to hone your horsemanship skills with the help of your knowledgeable guides, or just spend time exploring the beautiful bush below Tommy’s house.

Your day concludes with a picnic to celebrate the journey you’ve undertaken, and at 4:00pm you’ll take a shuttle back to your accommodation in Taupo. The trip takes roughly two hours, so you’ll need to book a night’s accommodation in Taupo this evening so the group isn’t rushed getting back into town. You can fly home anytime the following day.

Transfers to and from Taupo are included in the ride price. To avoid travel delays, we ask that all guests arrive and stay in Taupo (at your own expense) the day before the ride begins, so you’re ready to be collected from your accommodation at approximately 9.30am on day one. And please also book another night’s accommodation in Taupo on the final day of your ride, so the group isn’t rushed getting back into town. You can fly home the following day.

**Please note that if you’re flying into Auckland International Airport, give yourself a three hour buffer to clear customs {especially with horse riding equipment – helmets, chaps} before your regional flight directly into Taupo. Our travel agent can assist in booking your international and regional flights as she’s familiar with this ride itinerary.