SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 2017
arriving in the middle of the night at the Auckland Airport
and being pleasantly surprised by how smooth it went
with the electronic passport check-in and taking a taxi to my airbnb room
my riding host, Rod, came to pick me up at 9:00 in the morning,
it was challenging at first not knowing some of the
“Kiwi expressions” but his friendliness was all that really mattered
I was so impressed with the view as I stepped into their ranch house
and happy to meet Bev and their daughter, Georgie,
we then decided to go riding since the sun was shining, the grass was green,
the sky was blue with the wind was blowing
Rod explained that their laws required all riders to wear bright lime vests
so potential hunters don’t confuse us with a deer,
along with a helmet to keep us from going home with a head injury
Georgie introduced me to my horse Alex,
a cross between draft and thoroughbred lines
with a good calming personality and comfortable to ride
I was ready to ride in the cold weather and was comfortable
wearing a jacket vest to keep warm, a cap under my helmet,
with an outside temp of 17 C in the day or 62 degrees F
we started our riding through the rain forest to Lake Kereta,
as I talked with Rod about their hosting visitors from all over the world
who came to their ranch over the past thirty years
we then continued through the rainforest and over the sand dunes
to see the clouds in the sky being reflected on the sea water,
what fun to be riding Alex into the surf and splashing water while walking,
then trotting and cantering with the feeling of freedom
when we got home, we enjoyed a Steinlager Beer
and conversation until Bev served us a delicious dinner
with a meringue dessert called pavlova topped with fruit,
all served on a linen tablecloth and cloth napkins
after dinner we sat by the fireplace drinking a glass of wine
and got more excited as our nightly conversation
turned to politics, economics, and farm land prices of New Zealand
MONDAY, AUGUST 21
I woke up to a wonderful breakfast prepared by Bev with
eggs, potatoes, bacon, along with a bowl of granola, peaches and yogurt,
and several cups of freshly brewed coffee
after putting on their saddles and bridles we began our five hour ride to Lake Kuwakatai,
opening gates as we moved from one farm to another and
stopping by the lake for a lunch prepared by Bev,
a sandwich with salmon, mayo, and tomato, a tangerine, and a brownie
on our ride we talked about Rod’s family coming to Australia
and how his family was deeply rooted in the history of New Zealand,
beginning with his grandfather’s family starting their timber business,
followed by his father’s farming business and now his family was doing horse tourism
after the ride we walked our horses back to their paddock,
took off their bridles and saddles, brushed them
and fed them their grain, putting a smile on their faces
we had a beer and appetizers waiting for us at the ranch house,
followed by a wonderful dinner starting with a sweet potato and coconut soup,
chicken and my most favorite dessert of bread pudding with whipped cream
each evening we enjoyed a New Zealand Awanui wine,
and listened to more stories of riders who came from
China, Japan, Europe, North America and Australia
after dinner, I climbed into a warm bed with an electric blanket
as the temperature dropped to 5 degrees C or 41 degrees F
and had a cozy sleep until the next morning
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22
after another delicious breakfast and morning chat.
we got ready for our last day of riding and another great weather day,
then took a short drive to get our horses several miles away
watching wild peacocks running up the hills with cows and sheep playing in the field
the horses were at the top of the hill as Rod
tried to trick them to come down by tapping on their feed bucket,
they were not fooled and had fun “playing hard to catch” with him
we rode through the forest to get to the beach
and as we crossed over the sand dune
we saw thirty miles of beach waiting for us to enjoy
we had lunch on the beach just to ourselves
and were having a relaxed lunch when Alex decided to take a roll,
so Rod and I jumped up to stop him saving the saddle from being damaged
we rode about ten miles, walking, trotting, and galloping on the beach,
making another one of my dreams come true,
moving in and out of the surf as the water gently covered the sand
riding on the beach was an unforgettable experience and
each day after our ride I enjoyed drinking a beer and having fellowship
with other horse lovers sitting by the wood fire,
munching on appetizers with wine and having interesting conversations
our dinner was the best lamb I have ever eaten with a delicious sauce,
venison steak with sweet potato and squash,
and the best dessert ever, a cooked pear dripping with a chocolate sauce
after dinner we enjoyed more coffee and relaxing conversation,
and I realized that Rod, Bev, and Georgie were able to bring the world to them
with each person who came by to ride and visit their ranch like me
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23
after breakfast and our morning coffee, I gave Bev and Rod
a copy of my book as a thank you gift,
knowing I would miss all their wonderful homemade meals
it was time go back to Saigon, so I put a note in their visitor’s book
“Thanks to Rod, Bev, and Georgie for sharing your house, your horses to ride
in the forest and on the beach, delicious meals, and for your friendship”
Rod drove me to the airport and I knew I would miss
the shared experience of riding together, talking together, and
and drinking coffee together in their warm farmhouse
that was the mecca for horse lovers
on the way flight back to Saigon, I had fun thinking about my next visit,
with maybe a ride on the South Island during the summer
combined with visiting my new friends on the North Island
Travel log and photos by Tom Yeager
tom@tomyeager.com