Riders on this trip also have the opportunity to meet the people who live and work the stations, producing the wool and meat which has long been the backbone of the New Zealand economy. Every night is spent at a farm stay or homestead and each morning begins with a cooked breakfast. The horses pick their way up the rugged Seaward River Gorge, through beech forest, past lakes and over several mountain passes on a challenging journey which crosses some of the biggest stations in the district. Eskhead Station is 16,000 ha running 11,000 sheep and 600 cattle. Lake Taylor Station is 9,000 ha with a mixture of sheep and cattle.
Lunch is carried on the horses and enjoyed at a convenient spot along the way.
Bring a swimming costume and have a refreshing dip. We ride out from our base at The Peaks, up through the Waitohi River, under the shady willows, stopping for lunch and a swim along the way. Then after following the old gold trail to the West Coast for a while, we ride over steep hill country to a shearing shed by the Hurunui River where we leave the horses for the night and return via vehicle to your farmstay for a good meal and comfortable night. Today we rejoin our horses and continue following the old gold trail through the Hurunui Gorge and Maori Gully to where the Seaward River flows into the Hurunui. We leave the Hurunui here and follow the Seaward River up through it's narrow gorges, crossing the river several times before the upper valley opens up in front of us.