Riding across New Zealand...advice!!!

madiz123

madiz123

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 April 2008
Messages
401
Location
Devon/Kent
Visit site
Hi all

So I have a year to do whatever I want before my grad job starts next September and real life takes hold.

I was planning on going to work a ski season in Canada, but alas, I did not get one of the few temporary working visas allocated to the UK.

I have had this grand idea for several years of riding the length of New Zealand (a lady called Tracey Elliot-Reep did the same trip and made this amazing photo book http://www.traceyelliotreep.com/books/riding-by-faith-through-new-zealand/ if anyone has not seen it).

I have tried contacting Tracey for some advice and contacts but I have not heard back from her. I am conscious that I need to go to NZ in November... So is there anyone out there that has any advice for me? Or horsey contacts in NZ?

The rough idea is to buy 2 ponies out there, a riding pony and a pack pony, and ride for circa 3/4months.

Thanks in advance!

Izzy
 
Blimey. Good luck with that. I found the driving over there pretty hairy. Have you ever been?
There are a few people on here who live in nz who might be able to help. It would need some serious planning.
 
You'd probably need to have significant map and self survival skills - have you done anything like it before?
 
I'm new to New Zealand and live just outside Auckland. I haven't been to the South Island yet and haven't explored too much of the north island yet due to long hours at work. From what I have seen, I'd imagine your biggest obstacle is going to be traffic.

I find the some of drivers here very aggressive and am always surprised to see how fast they will drive their v8 trucks down a quiet rural road. I will float to the forest about a mile away because I don't want to deal with roads.

I see a surprisingly few amount of riders out and about on the roads here. I assume they must feel the same way.
 
I can map read and use a compass (living on Dartmoor) but bar a few 4-5 hour rides across the moor...I have not done anything like it before...

What gives me confidence is that Tracey did it having turned up with no plan... although I hope to have more than that! The main thing I want to figure out is a route. I am hoping I can find a part of her route which avoids busy roads and towns.
 
Have a look at Mary Pagnamenta - she might be able to help you. Also the Hanbury-Tenison book Fragile Eden
 
You are going to have to plan very carefully. Your equipment can make or break your trip. Anything that rubs or pinches will ground your horses very quickly. Be very conservative about the distances you can achieve. I have found 15 miles day after day with a break once a week is realistic if you are on your own. It takes hours out of your day to see to the horses and the equipment, set up camp then repack everything so that you can find things again quickly when you need them. I used to ride forty-five minutes, get off and walk fifteen, otherwise I got too stiff and it gave the horses' back a break. Make sure you do not take the saddles off the second you stop in the evening. Loosen the girths slowly one hole at a time and wait till circulation is back to normal before unsaddling. Keep your horse's skin anywhere tack will touch it scrupulously clean every day. If you ride shod horses carry a hoof boot in case of lost shoes. Sorry I could fill a book with advice, just do your research thoroughly about every aspect of the problems you may encounter. There are success stories from people who have done this, but there are also plenty of sorry failures by people who thought they could just mount up and go, they just do not write about it.
 
I don't have any advice about riding across NZ, but I'm in Christchurch in the South Island and there's glorious riding down here!
 
Try this link, I remember this party as I passed them on the road.
https://www.facebook.com/3girls6horses/

also try googling "three girls and six horses NZ" you will find links to some articles about them. It is not that uncommon for people to ride the length of NZ. I seem to remember the previous year an English girl doing just that to fund raise for charity. Definitely do some internet searches.

You are right about not riding on the roads, NZ'rs are really nice, polite people until they get behind the wheel of a car!

Good luck!
 
Arzada said:
Have a look at Mary Pagnamenta - she might be able to help you. Also the Hanbury-Tenison book Fragile Eden
Click to expand...

I did Mary's web-site - way back in 2001 when she did the ride to raise money for RDA. Her mother was a great friend of mine (and was one of the main reasons I finally got to the UK.) It's still on-line though obviously hasn't been updated in years. http://www.fourbeatstofreedom.net/meet-Mary.htm Mary is also on Facebook. She fell in love with New Zealand and went back to live there. https://www.facebook.com/mary.pagnamenta?ref=br_rs
 
I live in NZ and second the previous Kiwi poster on how glorious the riding is here! Not all of the drivers are stupid here, maybe in the big cities where they haven't seen a horse but where I live they are all pretty good.
 
JanetGeorge said:
I did Mary's web-site - way back in 2001 when she did the ride to raise money for RDA. Her mother was a great friend of mine (and was one of the main reasons I finally got to the UK.) It's still on-line though obviously hasn't been updated in years. http://www.fourbeatstofreedom.net/meet-Mary.htm Mary is also on Facebook. She fell in love with New Zealand and went back to live there. https://www.facebook.com/mary.pagnamenta?ref=br_rs
Click to expand...
Thanks Janet - for some reason my computer no longer does copy & paste! And her Mum owned the best cob in the world ever!
 
I live in NZ, in Christchurch.

I don't mean to sound patronising, but New Zealand isn't quite the endless rural paradise many seem to believe. Even though we only have 4 million or so people we still have busy roads, there are very few established bridle paths as you have in the UK, narrow bridges over really BIG rivers, not to mention an expensive and inconvenient gap of water between the two islands and some quite large cities. Most rural land is either privately owned, so permission is required to ride over it, or it is in National Parks which don't allow horses at all. So while riding from one end of NZ to the other (around 1000 km as the kea flies) sounds wonderful, it is probably not so easy as it sounds.

If you are wanting to come here and ride (and we do have great riding in places), perhaps try coming to work somewhere equestrian related, or do something non horse and find out about riding when you get here. Some of the endurance people are always looking for extra riders, and there are plenty of places that offer trekking.
 
I have to echo NZJenny: I spent 2014 in New Zealand and would add a note of caution to the idea of riding the length of the country. It would be quite complicated to organise permission to ride across private land and you might end up riding a lot of the way on roads, which would be less than idyllic!

I think you'd have a much more pleasant (and less stressful) time if you were a guide on some of the longer horse treks. You could work in a few different places in the time you have available and see a lot of the beautiful countryside, while also having somewhere to stay, some security and some company!

Another recommendation: look up the areas on the west coast of the south island that are bad for sandflies and either avoid them or make sure you're well-prepared against them. They can be monstrous!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top