West Coast horse treks
Punakaiki Horse Trek
Ride on horseback through verdant West Coast native bush as you gaze up at 300-foot-high limestone cliffs, or stroll your horse through the fresh West Coast surf to view the magnificence of the Pancake Rocks.
Punakaiki Horse Treks offers invigorating and enjoyable horse riding in a natural and safe environment suited to all levels of riders.
ANDREAS
GERMANY
ANDREAS
GERMANY
- Experienced, friendly guides who provide quality service with an emphasis on rider safety
- We have been operating our horse treks since 1996
- Elementary horse riding tuition
- New Zealand station-breds and warmblood standard-bred horses known for their quiet temperament
- Modern stables located 500 metres south of the Pancake Rocks
- Helmets and wet weather gear for treks.
- Light refreshments at our hut in the Punakaiki valley.
- Small groups
Enquire about departure dates and pricing here.
(minimum of two people)
Please contact us or complete our online enquiry form to receive further information on this tour or to check availability on your preferred date of travel.
- For the health and well-being of our horses we have a weight limit of 100kg.
YOUR TOUR ITINERARY
Daily treks with experienced guides
The experienced guides at Punakaiki Horse Treks run regular horse treks that leave morning approx 9.30am and afternoon 2-3.30pm (depending on the month)
Punakaiki Horse Treks runs a 2.5 hour horse trek into the Punakaiki Valley and along the beach to the Pancake Rocks.
We also offer personalised treks for riders who would like extra tuition or a horse ride designed to their capabilities. Young children can enjoy led-rides on the beach.
Beginning our popular 2.5 hour horse trek, we ford the Punakaiki River and take the scenic route to view the stunning scenery of the Paparoa National Park. We ride through native bush to view huge limestone bluffs capped with lush temperate rainforest.
Native Kereru wood pigeon can sometimes be seen swooping low through forest corridors. Paradise duck, the nosy weka and gorgeous-plumaged pukeko are common onlookers, and oyster catchers, spur-winged plovers and harrier hawks are also visible. Birdlife is a stunning feature of the New Zealand native rainforest and riders can quietly observe their lives from horseback.
We make a stop on the river flat at a bush hut for a stretch and photographs, before wending our way back to the coast. This scenic feast is rounded off with a stroll down Punakaiki beach. Riders can experience the powerful sea rolling onto the famous Pancake Rocks, as they sit on horseback with the horses snorting at the salt spray from the waves.
