Hurunui Trails & Adventures

The Lakes

Intermediate Advanced

Our 8 Day and 7 Nights High Country Adventure exploring the valleys, mountains, forest, streams, lakes and rivers of the Hurunui.

"Lake Mason"

A unique opportunity to meet the people who own the sheep and cattle stations along the way and experience the culture of the New Zealand high country. This is a unique opportunity to meet the people who own and run the sheep and cattle stations along the way and experience the culture of the New Zealand high country.

Our accommodation each night is mainly in elegant rustic, bunk style accommodation or the shearer´s quarters at Lake Taylor Station where a hot shower and comfortable bed are very welcome at the end of a day's ride. Also included is a 3 course dinner with wine, breakfast and a tasty packed lunch each day. You also have the opportunity to interact with local farmers and sample their genuine Kiwi hospitality.

Your adventure begins with your arrival at our base.....

Itinerary

"Snowy Day"

"The Lakes"

"By the Creek"

Day 1:

We begin all of our treks with a short introduction on how we handle our horses on the ground, this is done individually in our round pen where you experience “Join Up” with your mount and understand how we ride our horses, so you can ride safely, enjoying good communication and leadership with your horse; we train our horses through respect and trust.

When everyone is happy we leave our base at The Peaks on our first day´s adventure following the Waitohi River we stop in the shade of the willows by the river and enjoy our picnic lunch. If the weather is suitable we take a swim in one of the swimming holes on the river. Then we move on following part of the historic gold trail over to the West Coast to Seven Hills Station. At the end of the ride we clean down our horses, feed, water and turn them out into a paddock at Seven Hills for the night.

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 back to our base where you are spoilt for choice – take a hot shower, have a soak and pressure massage in our new hydro-therapy spa, just enjoy the tranquillity of our garden, and relax in one of the hammock chairs with a chilled Sangria or wine to drink on the deck with views of the mountains all around you. Presently, your dinner is served ‘al fresco’ beside the pit fire in our river stone walled garden, the delicate scent of the herb garden permeating the air.

Day 2:

After a hearty breakfast, great coffee and your saddle bags packed with a tasty lunch you are taken out to Seven Hills Station where we catch and saddle our horses. Today we ride through Mt Mason Station following the Waitohi gorge climbing up over a high saddle, stopping for lunch and enjoying the spectacular views. After lunch we climb a little higher over the saddle and then walk down the other side meandering through the valleys of the Virginia area, to Double Tops Station and your horse´s accommodation for the next two nights. (approx. 5.5 hrs riding)

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 back to our base where you are spoilt for choice – take a hot shower, have a soak and pressure massage in our new hydro-therapy spa, just enjoy the tranquillity of our garden, and relax in one of the hammock chairs with a chilled Sangria or wine to drink on the deck with views of the mountains all around you. Presently, your dinner is served ‘al fresco’ beside the pit fire in our river stone walled garden, the delicate scent of the herb garden permeating the air.

Day 3:

The third day we ride through Double Tops station, stopping at the quaint Tommy’s Cabin under the willows and then following Tommy’s Creek through the valley with the delicate scent of the native bush. We climb high onto the Double Top ridge where if the weather is kind we have an amazing view of the sea and Christchurch Bay and surrounding area; whilst we enjoy our picnic lunch. On the long trip down we travel through another valley, then climbing up and over another ridge returning to the woolshed at Double Tops. You are greeted with a cold beer or beverage, after you have untacked, groomed and fed your horse they are turned out into the paddock for a well earned rest and you are driven back to your accommodation at the Peaks again for the night. Where you can look forward to a soak in our Hydro-therapy Spa pool before your evening meal. (approx.7 hrs riding ).

Day 4:

After breakfast and your saddle bags packed with another tasty lunch you are taken out to Double Tops Station where we catch and saddle our horses. We go through the Virginia valley following a trail through the bottom end of Mt Mason Station, with beautiful creeks and pine trees. We cross the Waitohi River into Mt Noble Station, where we stop for lunch by the babbling river and if it´s hot we can revive our feet in the cold spring water. In the afternoon we climb up onto Windy Ridge where you get your first glimpse of the Hurunui River and follow the trail down through the native bush to the Lake Sumner Road. The horses spend the night in the lower paddocks at 7 Hills Station.

Then you will be transported back to our base where once again you are spoilt for choice – take a hot shower, have a soak and pressure massage in our new hydro-therapy spa, just enjoy the tranquillity of our garden, and relax in one of the hammock chairs with a chilled Sangria or wine to drink on the deck with views of the mountains all around you. Presently, your dinner is served ‘al fresco’ beside the pit fire in our river stone walled garden, the delicate scent of the herb garden permeating the air.

Day 5:

"Up High"

"Saddle Up"

"Swimming at Lake Mason"

"Lake Sumner"

This morning your bags are packed and loaded into the vehicles for the journey into the high country. We travel on our horses along the historic gold trail to the West Coast through the Hurunui gorge until we meet both the South and North branches of the Hurunui River. We drop down into the Gorge and cross the fast flowing South branch of the Hurunui River. This is where you discover just how sure footed your horses are! We stop for our lunch on the other side of the river on the bank enjoying the view. After lunch we are back on our horses and climb up the track onto the terraces and enter Lake Taylor Station, riding through the very beautiful Boulder Gully, this is a virgin Beech forest with a magical stream which we cross many times as we go up and down the banks, weaving in and around the trees. We break through the forest into Starvation Valley following the trail to the shearer´s quarters at Lake Taylor Station. This is our accommodation for the next two nights. Our hosts Rosemary and Dave the owners of Lake Taylor Station welcome us into their home for our evening meal. (approx. 7hrs riding).

Day 6:

We enjoy an early cooked breakfast with Rosemary and return to the shearers quarters, saddle up our horses and we set off before the sun is too hot and journey through the Hurunui valley. Exploring the incredible beauty of some of New Zealand's most spectacular high country, with an abundance of lakes and mountain scenery that few get to experience. Riding alongside the spectacular Lakes of the Hurunui Valley, the Lakes include Lake Taylor, Lake Sheppard, Loch Katrina and Lake Sumner. We stop on the Catherine saddle for lunch and climb down the other side weaving our way through to Lake Mason. We follow the trail alongside the South branch of the Hurunui and then turn off and climb up and over the Homestead range looking down onto Lake Taylor, eventually arriving back at the shearer´s quarters for another enjoyable evening with Rosemary & Dave. (approx. 8 hrs riding)

Day 7:

Today sadly we have to leave these magical lakes and start making our way home, up ontop of the Orinoko Range looking down onto the Esk Valley and South branch of the Hurunui with Mt White in the distance. We walk down the Orinoko´s leading our horses, over and down the Orinoko Range, then mount up again and follow the South branch of the Hurunui, stopping for lunch by the river and taking a swim (weather permitting). After lunch we travel back down the historic gold trail through the Hurunui gorge and follow the Hurunui river back through to the lower end of Seven Hills Station, where the horses spend the night in the paddocks. You are then transported back to your accommodation at the Peaks for the night in 4 wheel drive vehicles where you can take a much welcomed soak in the Spa pool for the last time and maybe catch up on your emails on our free WiFi. (approx. 5.5 hrs riding)

Day 8:

On our last day we ride along the banks of the tranquil Hurunui River, under the impressive Hooligan Range with Mt. Mizar, Ben Cliberick, Phyllis Fell and Mount Catherine on the opposite side of the river. We lunch below Mt. Self beside the Hurunui, where you can take a swim in the sandy swimming hole; after which we ride across country again, up and over the Kanuku Saddle (approx. 850m) with its panoramic views of the Amuri Basin, down to our base where we unsaddle, unpack, wash the horses down and then enjoy afternoon tea. At the end of the ride we unsaddle, unpack, and tuck into a well-deserved afternoon tea.(approx. 5.5 hrs riding)

"Taking a break"

We generally arrive back at approx 3.30 pm giving you plenty of time to either return to Christchurch or carry on with your journey North.

We use a Four-Wheel-Drive vehicle to transport our gear, which allows for a ride with a more varied pace and in which you can experience the true freedom of the high country on horseback.

Our gear and refreshments await us after the horses are taken care of at the end of each day's ride. The emphasis throughout is on quality, in luxury accommodation, open fires, terrace, good food, wine and a great riding experience with very knowledgeable guides.