The Journey
This truly is an adventure of a lifetime... most people will never have the opportunity to see such pristine country as this; words truly cannot describe it.
Experience being truly at one with your horse and environment at Hurunui Trails & Adventures, the spectacular scenery and tranquillity will leave you refreshed in body, mind and spirit.
You will be crossing three major rivers of New Zealand, The Hurunui, The Waiau and The Clarence. You will be following the direction of the Clarence River through Molesworth Station, passing through the valleys and along the mountain range tops of the Southern Alps where our base is; across the Seaward Ranges all the way to the sea at Kaikoura.
You have your fourth day off at Hanmer Springs, where you are free to do whatever you wish. You will enjoy the luxury of a lie in at your five star accommodations for four nights. Hanmer Springs is New Zealand’s premier alpine and spa destination set amongst alpine vistas. You can spend the day soaking in hot thermal pools or the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa offer a world class spa experience for the ultimate in relaxation; specialising in luxurious skin, body and massage therapies. Spend the day shopping for fine art, jewellery, fashion and New Zealand gift ware. Take an adventure packed trip exploring the mountain biking trails, hike along one of the many great walking tracks, or ride a jet boat down the Waiau Gorge. Treat yourself to a relaxing lunch at an outdoor café and while away you’re evening at the array of restaurants and bars, returning to your five star luxury accommodation for a second night.
Back on the trail with our horses, with luxury camping along the Clarence River, through Molesworth Station all the way through to the sea and beaches of Kaikoura, you truly feel like you are riding through an oil painting, living what most people can only dream of doing.
The Clarence/Waiau-toa is one of NZ’s longest rivers and featured on Craig Potton’s series ‘Rivers’. The river begins at Lake Tennyson on the eastern slopes of the Spenser Mountains in the Lewis pass area. The headwaters of the entire major top-of-the- south rivers originate in these mountains, the Waiau-toa (Clarence), Waiau, Kawatiri (Buller) and the Wairau. The Clarence and the Waiau flow parallel on either side of the St James range until the Clarence turns at the Hanmer range and flows North East between the Kaikoura ranges. It continues in this direction until rounding the northern end of the Seaward Kaikoura Mountains and then flowing south into the Pacific Ocean near the settlement of Clarence, 40 km north of Kaikoura.
Your last two nights are once again in five star luxury accommodation at the water’s edge on the beach with a spa pool, or you can take a cooling swim in the sea. Your last day is spent with Dolphin Encounter in the morning, where they take you to swim with the dusky dolphins in their natural environment, or you may choose to watch their acrobatic displays from the comfort of their boat. You can enjoy a relaxing lunch at an outdoor café of your choice.
Then at 1.30pm you will be collected by Maurice and Heather Manawatu who own and operate Māori Tours Kaikoura. This is a winning combination of laughter and learning that combines storytelling with hands on activities and a bushwalk to discover traditional uses of trees and plants as food and medicine:
Kaikoura is an area of immense natural beauty and is rich in Māori history. You will travel by small coach to visit some of our most special places and they will introduce you to them through their eyes, sharing secrets of the landscape through the stories of our ancestors – stories that have been handed down for many generations – stories that will leave you smiling and amazed. You'll be involved right from the start – join in customs and traditions and learn their ways like weaving with the native harakeke (flax) plant and learning a Māori greeting. Midway through we'll stop for light refreshments and then travel to one of Kaikoura's bush walkways where passionate guides will share their knowledge about the use of plants. As more than 90% of New Zealand's native bush is endemic you'll be in a landscape found nowhere else in the natural world.
Be part of a real cultural exchange, widely regarded as one of the world's finest indigenous tours. As your day concludes you will have gained a rare insight and understanding of Māori people, their history and way of life, and they will give you a small memento to remember them and to share with your own family and friends.
See the detailed itinerary below:
Day 1:
Arrival time: 9.30
Welcome introduction and morning coffee with Heather & Pete and a talk through the itinerary for the following 12 days. As we are all about to embark on a multi-day horse trek, getting to know our horses first is a great opportunity to support having a safer and more fun-filled adventure. Get used to handling, grooming, saddling and packing our horses, followed by a Lunch Break. We will practice groundwork skills and riding skills that will likely be needed as part of this adventure. An evaluation of all riders’ equestrian skills will be provided and suggestions on how to improve those will be offered for riding safely in the High Country. Pack our swags (bags) in preparation for the following day. Enjoy a soak in our Spa, glass of wine and dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Day 2:
The first day of our journey the excitement is tangible with you all wondering what lays ahead, the spectacular scenery, new horse knowledge, new friends, and great horse experiences. After enjoying a hearty cooked breakfast and your saddle bags packed with a tasty lunch, a cold drink and your camera etc. We catch the horses, groom them and saddle up with both the packs and riding horses. When everyone is happy and comfortable we leave our base at The Peaks on our first day´s adventure crossing the Hurunui River at the influx of the Mandamus River into the Hurunui River, we cross and ride up Mandamus River onto Tekoa Road, travelling east along to Sandford Downs. Riding up over Cascade Saddle to the Grampians Station, following up Pahau River, crossing Hogget Block Creek to arrive at the Grampians Hut where we make camp and spend the night.
Day 3:
Breaking camp we head north to the Lochiel Boundary, riding on through to the Pahau Hut where we have lunch. Continue riding through Lochiel to the airstrip above Lewis Pass Road, turning east, riding along terraces leading down to the Waiau River. We cross and ride up the Hanmer River, through paddock country to Molesworth Bull Farm where our horses stay for the next two nights. At the end of your days ride you can enjoy a cold beer (or your favourite drink) whilst your horse munches its much earned feed before being turned out into the paddock for the night. Then you will be transported to your 5 star accommodations in Hanmer Springs for the next two nights. You can enjoy a soak in the thermal pools and discover the local pubs and restaurants and a great night’s sleep in luxury.
Day 4:
You have your fourth day off at Hanmer Springs, where you are free to do whatever you wish. You will enjoy the luxury of a lie in at your five star accommodations for four nights. Hanmer Springs is New Zealand’s premier alpine and spa destination set amongst alpine vistas. You can spend the day soaking in hot thermal pools or the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa offer a world class spa experience for the ultimate in relaxation; specialising in luxurious skin, body and massage therapies. Spend the day shopping for fine art, jewellery, fashion and New Zealand gift ware. Take an adventure packed trip exploring the mountain biking trails, hike along one of the many great walking tracks, or ride a jet boat down the Waiau Gorge. Treat yourself to a relaxing lunch at an outdoor café and while away you’re evening at the array of restaurants and bars, returning to your five star luxury accommodation for a second night.
Day 5:
After an early breakfast, you are collected and taken down to Molesworth Bull Farm, where we catch our horses and saddle up our horses and head out. Riding around the outskirts of the Hanmer Forest before reaching Jollies Pass Road, where we ride up and over the saddle off Jollies Pass, where you see the Clarence River for the first time. We come down of the saddle and follow the Clarence downstream to the junction of the Acheron River. We make camp for the night in high quality tents at the rural camp ground, between the historic Acheron Accommodation house and stables off Molesworth Station by the side of the Clarence River. We can enjoy a hearty meal and an enjoyable evening. This is our last point of civilisation for the next five days.
Day 6:
Packed up, refreshed and with new supplies on board we leave the Acheron Accommodation House where the road veers off in the direction of the Molesworth Homestead, we head in the opposite direction and go downstream following the Clarence River. Along the terraces and the river bed, riding between Molesworth Station and the Hossack Station. Crossing the Clarence River onto Molesworth Station where we stop for lunch. After lunch we ride over a low saddle to Stoat Creek. We follow up this creek and over another low saddle and back down to the Clarence River; we cross and enter Cloudy Range Station where we make camp for the night at this glorious spot, beneath the willows.
Day 7:
On leaving Cloudy Hut we follow down the Clarence River crossing Palmer Stream on to Clarence Reserve Country and head seaward across Gore stream, and included a ride over an area called the fells which is 900 meters high. Arriving at the Palmer Hut for the night, where we can either camp or stay in the hut. We can relax by the campsite, swim, play a few games or take a walk, before dinner.
Day 8:
Leaving the Palmer Hut on the Clarence Reserve we continue riding over rugged country crossing Seymour Stream, New Zealand’s second highest mountain in the South Island, Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku, plays hide and seek with us as we wind in and out of its view. We end our day’s journey at the old Quail Flat homestead and Seymour hut camping under the shadows of the two highest peaks in the Kaikoura ranges completing a spell binding day along the river.
This is close to Muzzle Station, a huge and remote station formerly Quail Flat homestead built around 1860. Muzzle Station is now owned by a couple who manage the place with their daughter and son-in-law and raise everything including sheep, cattle, deer, and horses. The station is so remote they can only drive out 7 months of the year, and the rest of the year they can only fly by either their plane or helicopter weather permitting.
Day 9:
We can enjoy a leisurely breakfast as we only have a half days ride today. We leave the Clarence River and head out towards the Seaward Kaikoura Range. We ride along the river bed of the Herring Stream to Bluff Dump Hut/Warden Hut, which was one of the most picturesque. Where we can use either the hut or tents and have a relaxing evening.
Day 10:
Today is a long hard climb out over the top of the Seaward Kaikoura Ranges. We awake very early and set out before the sun is too hot toward Kaikoura and over the rugged Seaward Kaikoura Range. Today we ride along the trail of Dead Horse Gully, an old pack horse trail where a mule train had met a Clydesdale pack train and the mules took the inside path; this sadly resulted in the Clydesdales tumbling down the mountain. You will be please to know nowadays it is much wider and better maintained. After reaching the summit of the pass, we start the long walk and ride down into the foothills to the inlet road to Kaikoura where we end our day’s journey and set up camp for the night. The horses are glad to have a good feed and a nights rest.
Day 11:
Today we ride to the Pacific Ocean; our destination! The horses love this riding along the beach and soaking their feet in the surf and playing with the waves. We have a picnic lunch at the beach, go for a swim and take the last ride back to the paddocks with our trusty steeds. At the end of your days ride you can enjoy a cold beer (or your favourite drink) whilst your horse munches its much earned feed before being turned out into the paddock for the night. Then you will be transported to your 5 star accommodations in Kaikoura for the next two nights. You can enjoy the next two nights in luxury, appreciate a long hot shower or a soak in the bath, and visit the pubs and restaurants of Kaikoura and a great night’s sleep.
Day 12:
After breakfast at the Dolphin Encounter cafe, Dolphin Encounter takes you to swim with the dusky dolphins in their natural environment. The pod sizes of the resident dusky dolphins range in the hundreds along the Kaikoura coastline and we have an impressive success rate in locating these marine mammals. The dusky dolphins inhabit the coastal waters off Kaikoura all year round, making Kaikoura a unique place in the world where wild dolphins can be encountered every day, weather permitting. It is this fact that sets their operation apart; their success rate of swimming with dolphins is second to none.
The dusky dolphins are reputed to be amongst the most acrobatic of the dolphin species, and their spectacular leaps, jumps, side slaps and back flips, bring shouts of joy to most that go out to witness their wild and free behaviour. One of the most spectacular leaps performed by the duskies is its trademark somersault and the duskies will often repeat these acrobatic leaps time and again.
After your amazing experience with the dolphins, you have lunch. Then at 1.30pm you will be collected by Maurice and Heather Manawatu who own and operate Māori Tours Kaikoura. This is a winning combination of laughter and learning that combines storytelling with hands on activities and a bushwalk to discover traditional uses of trees and plants as food and medicine:
Kaikoura is an area of immense natural beauty and is rich in Māori history. You will travel by small coach to visit some of our most special places and they will introduce you to them through their eyes, sharing secrets of the landscape through the stories of our ancestors – stories that have been handed down for many generations – stories that will leave you smiling and amazed. You'll be involved right from the start – join in customs and traditions and learn their ways like weaving with the native harakeke (flax) plant and learning a Māori greeting. Midway through we'll stop for light refreshments and then travel to one of Kaikoura's bush walkways where passionate guides will share their knowledge about the use of plants. As more than 90% of New Zealand's native bush is endemic you'll be in a landscape found nowhere else in the natural world.
Be part of a real cultural exchange, widely regarded as one of the world's finest indigenous tours. As your day concludes you will have gained a rare insight and understanding of Māori people, their history and way of life, and they will give you a small memento to remember them and to share with your own family and friends.
Sadly this is our last evening; we have a BBQ party and enjoy sharing our memories of an amazing, unforgettable life experience. The following morning you are taken back to the base at Hurunui Trails where you can collect your luggage and carry on with your holiday or catch your flight home from Christchurch, unless you are taking the option of extending your trip with our 6 day river raft.
Ride includes:
- 4 Nights of 5 star accommodation
- Dolphin Swim
- Maori Tour
- All food, beverages, wine and beer
- Horse riding, guides and land permits
- Safety helmets and oil skins
- Insulated lunch box
- Bed Linen or sleeping bags (to hire)
- All Camping gear
- Taxes
- Not included food and beverages at Hanmer Springs for the 2 nights and one day where you are free to do whatever you would like and one night and day at Kaikoura.
Key :: Beginners: 
Novice: 
Intermediate:
Advanced:
