Dad, ever the deal hunter, looked around for a cheap deal on a horse trek, and then tried to find an area that was between both of us (Him, and his partner live in Rotorua, I live in Wellington). That is how he came across Table Flat Trekking and it turned out to be an amazing choice.
We got there and all four of our horses were already tacked up, and had been warmed up prior to our arrival. At this point we got the chance to greet each horse, interact with them and hear a bit about their individual personalities and traits. I chose Hercules, a horse that liked to take charge, but was also described as a 'cross-legged hippy, with a satin shirt and a joint in his other hand'.
Once we were all on our chosen horse, we were taken through a basic training on how to stop, start, and direct our horses. My dad, and his partners son both had never ridden so therefore this was a great opportunity for them to learn how to ride a horse. Dad's partner and I had both ridden, although I have not ridden in a few years that it was a great refresher. It was then time to take on an obstacle course which gave everyone more confidence before the trek, and helped us connect with the horses. This was such a nice touch as most treks go straight into the trek with no training.
After all that we started on our trek, which went through paddocks of sheep, forests and even some road riding. It was a beautiful trek, with some amazing scenery, with a backdrop of an incredible range of snow capped hills. We were at a walking pace the whole trek, and this suited everyone perfectly. It gave us a chance to enjoy riding, but also look around and appreciate how beautiful New Zealand is.
Once we got back from our trek (which was roughly about two hours long), Trish (Dad's Partner) and I got the chance to trot and canter our horses. We had a couple of goes at this, and it was wicked to see how quickly all my training as a kid came back to me. We got some videos of this, and watching them back it looks slow, but when you are on top of the horse it felt lightening fast.
We were then lucky enough to go feed the herd, so our horses were untacked and we drove to the field where the rest of her herd were. We threw out hay for all the horses to eat, and got some more descriptions and back stories on all ten of her horses. This was such a neat way to end the day, and as the sun was setting we got to be around all the horses, and the dogs and just enjoy what a wonderful time we had had.
If you ever get the chance to go for a trek, I definitely recommend Table Flat Trekking. It was by far the best trekking experience I have ever had, and I am going to go back with my sister to do a longer trek!
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