punakaiki horse treks

Called in without warning and was given an immediate ride with Lara as my guide. A well-chosen horse, steady but forward -going with well-maintained tack. My guide was charming, very conscientious and anxious to please. The ride through the forest, fording 5 rivers was interesting with canters and trots. We had a comfort stop in a mountain shelter for drinks, dates and biccies.It was my first ride in NZ and not a full 2 hours. I had no idea of the costs, but I was charged twice the going rate that I found elsewhere.

We aren't practiced riders, it's been years and we've only ridden Western saddle. Here it's English saddle, of course it's New Zealand. Not as different as I had feared. We took the 'beginners' ride' following the river up the valley. Beautiful scenery, picnic tea in the woods, and no insect pests. The horses know what to do, and the guides will see you're properly set up. More vigorous advanced rides are available. If the tide is out when you finish, you can trot or gallop along the ocean strand. If it's high tide, head to the pancake rocks 600 meters up the road to see the blowholes blow. Don't miss fresh fish and fresh garden picked salad at the fish shack next to the stables.

So I decided to do some horseback riding and I had a blast. The scenery is beautiful and they really took good care of us. Its great even if you have no experience at all. The horses can get a little wild, but that makes it even better. I hope I remember our guides name, but I believe it was Laura. She is also from Germany, and it was great meeting her.

Surprised my daughter for her 13th on this horse adventure.was met by the owner Neil on arrival who was very helpful and a pleasure to meet. The horses were so nice and gentle and the guides were awesome at gearing us up helping us and talking a bit about our horses and chosing them to suit us. We rode out into the beautiful punakaiki bush surrounded by beautiful cliffs and rivers and got to a cute little hut where we went in and had a rest and got choice of tea coffee and some biccies :) then we were off again. as my daughter had more experience than me she was looked after and got to go off with her guide for some fast paced fun then we all rode out along the river coming out onto the beach we rode along and back to base :) it was all so amazing we couldnt stop smiling. Then we went next door and while we waited for my hubby to come get us we enjoyed a beautiful meal and refreshing smoothie at the beach hut. Amazing experience I would highly recomend. I couldnt have asked for a better birthday present for my daughter.Thankyou all for a memorable experience :)

It was back in December of 2013 that my 20 year-old daughter and I had the pleasure of an amazing horseback ride with Punakaiki Horse treks. I had every intention of writing a review then but, alas, I have never written a review before and time slipped by. Recently, we were looking at pics and were reminded that it was one of our best NZ experiences. If you have a chance to go on this spectacular ride, please take advantage. The owner, Karen, was terrific and our guides amazing. My dream is to go back one day and ride there again.

I have not been horse riding before and was nervous and not sure what to expect. I was taught enough about being on a horse to get by without it taking up a lot of riding time. The guide - Laura - was experienced, knowledgeable and quickly gained my confidence in her ability to safely manage the horses. She was also friendly and helpful. The ride through the valley was beautiful - as was riding along the beach. The owners of the business were also friendly and helpful. This was for me an amazing experience.

Thanks Paul for your review, however we would like to state that our policy with the rides is not to take anyone for a trot or canter unless we feel they are in control of their horse and look stable in their seat. We want to offer a safe and enjoyable ride for everyone and making the decision to go at a faster pace is at our discretion and falls within our risk management and health and safety guidelines.

Thanks to the owners of this business for providing our family with a complete and fantastic first time horse riding experience.We spent in total about 2.5 hours meandering through lush trails, creek beds, stopping for tea and biscuits then returning for a short time on the beautiful beach. The horses where fantastic. Being first timers on horses we were a little nervous, but our guides handled things with ease. A great day out in fantastic surroundings.

Thank you Ana and Laura for a wonderful informative trek, just the two of us and you two, allowed us to have excellent one on one attention. The scenery up the valley was beautiful, the river crossings thrilling, due to the heavy rain of the previous few days and the hurricane. Tea and bikkies at the hut just lent to the occasion. Our horses were perfectly behaved. We were so lucky with the weather on the day sunny and warm for the whole 3 hours even though it rained the entire drive out to Punakaiki and all the way back into Greymouth. Doing this trek makes you appreciate the unique beauty and tranquillity of the West Coast country side. Thankyou Karen and Neil for providing great guides and having such a wonderful business. We thoroughly enjoyed our trek and highly recommend it to anyone.

Just a wonderful experience. Beautiful west coast landscape, amazing rainforest vegetation (despite the tail end of a hurricane a week before!), character horse personalities, all brilliantly led by Laura and Ana. Thanks also to horses Sonny, Kirsty and Bobby, and the rain that stayed away! One very happy 8-yr old.

We had a great time on this ride. Excellent value and wonderful hosts--Neal and Sam. Horses were well cared for and ride was interesting and scenic. Enjoyed very much. Thank you

A great time for both a beginner an experienced rider with small groups. Guides were great, very helpful with lots of information about the area too. Great chance to ride along a stretch of the beach at end of ride. What a great way to end the day.!

I have been on many horse treks throughout NZ, trekking in the Punakaiki valley was the best experience I have had. The horses are great, the scenery is beautiful, the guides are awesome and if you are experienced they will cater for the fast paced thrill seekers. I loved the whole ride, especially the (optional for experienced riders) canters and gallop along the beach. Fantastic hospitality and worth every cent.

This trek took us along a beach, across a river, through a farm and into some wonderful rainforest. It was a good value trip with all these different types of scenery. The staff were very helpful, calm and knew their horses well. Horses were well cared for and seemed interested in getting out with you. I really liked this horse trip.

The horses are well trained and well kept. The guide was very helpful, as we had little prior experience riding. However we felt very confident and taken care for, and the ride up the riverbeds, and down to the beach was just amazing and mesmerizing. We took the ride in the morning, when the temperatures were optimal. However that could change with season, so please make your own considerations when booking.We were in our honeymoon, and we keep this experience as one of the top three in New Zealand.