Welcome to New Zealand, globetrotters! At 9am this morning, your guide, Jane Kennedy, will pick you up from your accommodation in Paihia and bring you to her home property, where you will have morning tea and a chat as you get to know your hosts and fellow guests. You’ll then be introduced to the superb string of guest horses and paired with your equine partner for the week.

This first 3 to 4-hour ride is all about getting to know your horse in a fun and stress-free environment. You’ll mount up in the arena, where Jane will lead a mini-clinic to boost your confidence and get you feeling comfortable. Then you’ll ride out over the farm, through spectacular native bush, along an historic road cut by British Soldiers in 1845 during the Maori Wars and finally to the awe-inspiring, massive, ancient Kauri trees (prepare to be impressed, globetrotters).

Back at the farm, you’ll have a late lunch at about 2pm, then jump back in the transfer vehicles for the drive to Henderson Bay via the scenic east coast, where you’ll gasp at the stunning scenery of Doubtless Bay. There’s an unmissable pit-stop at an iconic ice cream shop (included in the ride price), which sits near the beautiful pink sands of Cable Bay. Finally, you’ll reach the beach cabins at Jane’s spectacular Henderson Bay property, which you’ll call home for the remainder of your trip.

This morning, you get to rest your riding muscles as you enjoy the best of the local sightseeing. Your guides will drive you up to Cape Reinga, where you can observe the ‘Columbian Bank’ where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. You’ll see the spectacular Cape Maria van Diemen and the incredible, snow white sands of the Parengarenga Harbour. You’ll enjoy a leisurely swim at the beautiful Tapotupotu Bay, and if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can hire a boogie board (included in the ride price) and surf down the giant Te Paki sand dunes! Or, if you prefer, you can sleep in and spend the morning on the beach at Henderson Bay with a good book.

Returning to your base at Henderson Bay, you’ll have lunch at 2pm, then mount up for a gorgeous beach ride. Along the way, Jane will point out the remnants of the 32-metre-high tsunami that made landfall in the 1400s.

Reaching the bay, you and your horse will walk, trot and canter over the pink sand beach while absorbing the breathtaking, sprawling sand dunes. Weather permitting, Jane will time the ride so that the tides allow you to swim the horses bareback in the ocean, if you’d like! It’s a glorious afternoon of windswept canters and playing in the salty waves.

Today brings the first of your wild horse rides! After trucking the horses to the west coast, you’ll mount up at about 11am to ride through forestry, tussocks, sand dunes, and the wild 90 Mile Beach, where you’ll stalk herds of wild horses. You’ll dismount at a waterhole for a saddlebag-packed lunch, hopefully observing wild horses interacting with each other nearby.

Today’s ride is jam-packed full of SO many highlights: lovely long trots up and down the beach, sand dune riding (super fun!) and tiptoeing through ancient forests laden with gigantic, dark-trunked tree ferns.

This morning you will have breakfast a little earlier, then jump in the transfer vehicles for a trip to Gumdiggers Park. Here’s a bit of geology for you: in two separate climatic events, one 120,000 years ago and another 30-40,000 years ago, the huge kauri forests that grew here were completely toppled. They produced huge amounts of sap after falling, then sank into the swamp, where they were perfectly preserved. When the trees and their fossilised sap were rediscovered in the early 1900s, an entire industry sprung up overnight, supplying kauri ‘gum’ worldwide for varnish and glue.

After seeing these relics firsthand, you will return to the cabins for lunch, then load the horses and head out for one more glorious ride on the west coast. Rest assured there is so much country on offer, you won’t ride the same trail twice. Jane will colour the ride with local knowledge and point out native flora and fauna (and wild horses!).

Returning to Henderson Bay, if the weather is pleasant, your dinner supplies will be bundled up and everyone will head to the beach for a relaxed picnic on the sand. Make the most of these last exquisite moments on the coast, globetrotters!

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred back to Jane’s home property and sit back with a cuppa while the horses are unloaded. Then you’ll be dropped off at either Paihia or Kerikeri Airport. Please ensure your flight departs after 4pm.

Transfers to and from your hotel in Paihia are included in the price (on days 1 and 5).

To avoid travel delays, we ask that all guests arrive and stay in Paihia (at your own expense) the night before the ride begins, so you’re ready for collection between 9 – 9:30am on day 1.

On day 5, you will be dropped off at either Paihia or Kerikeri Airport at around 1:30 – 2pm. If flying from Kerikeri that day, please ensure your flight departs no earlier than 4pm.

There are multiple regional flights between Auckland Domestic Airport and Kerikeri Airport daily.* Kerikeri is a short drive from the town of Paihia. If you’re flying into Kerikeri, we recommend booking transfers through Kerikeri Taxis. They charge approximately $80 NZD one way for up to 3 people (total, not per person).

Alternatively, you can rent a car in Auckland and drive to Paihia (approx. 3 hours), or catch the InterCity bus (approx. 4 hours).

*Please note: 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 to Kerikeri.