Ahipara is at the very beginning of 90 mile beach. It’s where James Dad and Mum used to stay, surf and dive in the 70’s so it has a lot of meaning to us for that reason alone. It is also the place that our middle daughter chose for her activity – Ahipara Horse Treks.
Now for Krystal she was very particular about what she wanted out of a horse trek. It couldn’t be for “babies”. She didn’t want to be led around, she wanted a real horse and real control. She also wanted to ride through water. Not sure why – but that was a must. And down a beach. I’d love to know what she searched for but she came up with Ahipara Horse Treks and it fitted the bill perfectly.
James and I were a little worried about what to expect with horse riding. Krystal is horse mad but other two are not and I haven’t been on a horse in over 20 years!
It turns out there was nothing to worry about. Our guides Sally and Izzy talked to each of us first and matched us with the perfect horses for our abilities and temperaments. Even our eldest who gets scared was fine – and we saw a massive change in her self confidence over the two hour trek.
We got to go through the water which was of course Krystal’s dream and Sally (who I had told about this) made sure she got pictures of her going through the water.
I even got confident enough to put the reigns in one hand and take a few pictures (and even a selfie) on my phone.
Krystal had the Gopro on for the ride and got some great video which is over on the Facebook page.
We mostly walked with the occasional trot (usually with a look of panic from me and delight from Krystal) and on the way back were all comfortably chatting as we settled into the ride.
I expected to be sore for days afterward but I was actually pretty fine – must have been great saddles and the time they took to make sure we were seated comfortably.
All up it was an awesome experience and the best way to see 90 Mile Beach. It lived up to all of Krystal’s expectations as well as being enjoyable for us less horsey people in the family!
To connect with Ahipara Horse Treks follow them on Facebook here.
Other things to do in Ahipara
If you have worked up an appetite horse riding there is a great cafe – North Drift Cafe. Try the Kumara chips – they are amazing!!
After all that horse riding and yummy food we headed off for a swim at Ahipara. The kids loved getting out there in the waves.
It was so weird to see so many cars on the beach.
90 Mile Beach is actually a highway with a 100km speed limit so if you have the right car (and advice on tides and where to go to avoid the soft sand) then give it a go. Or jump on one of the many tours that head up along the beach.
We really wanted to get over to Shipwreck Bay where James Mum and Dad used to hang out (we even had a hand drawn map from James Mum) when they were younger but the road now runs through private Maori land and we weren’t game enough to take the car around the beach.
