All Amanda has been talking about from the beginning of the trip to New Zealand was the horseback riding. How many more days? How many more hours? How long will we be riding? Do I have to ride with Daddy? Can I pick the color of my horse? Fortunately, we rode horses only three days into the trip so the only questions remaining…Are we doing this again? When?
The horse trekking has been the highlight so far for both Amanda and Jade. Jade has never ridden a horse and Amanda has never ridden one on her own. Both got their chance and took it.
We rode for 2.5 hours across a variety of terrain, including beach during low tide and the New Zealand bush.
The weather was good until we hit the beach and then high winds made that portion of the trip cooler than expected. Amanda was ecstatic throughout and even after such a long ride was ready for more. Jade started out a bit nervous but very quickly settled in and also enjoyed every minute and was ready to come back for more. Our guides were excellent and the girls had a guide that led their horses to ensure a smooth and safe ride. 
The rest of us were not as lucky as our horses had their own personality’s which makes horseback riding a unique experience. Justin had an especially feisty horse , even getting his dad’s horse to buck on the beach - Ron managed to stay on without dropping the camera he was holding.
Unlike the girls, mom and dad were not as eager to jump back on the horses, feeling quite sore and stiff after the long ride. Bye, Bye Horses!!!
