Horse tramping adventures: Last week (29th to 30th November) 4 of us went on a fabulous 2 day back country horse “tramp” in Lake Sumner forest park.

Day 1 Started at Engineers Camp, Lewis Pass. We followed a public access off Rogers Cres to get to the Boyle River and the start of our adventure. The river was up so we got wet feet crossing and after a scramble up the bank, we were on the Tui Track linking the St James walkway with the Harper Pass route on the Te Araroa trail. This is a lovely track winding its way through manuka, high above the state highway.

Crossing Boyle River

The lovely Tui Track

After about an hr, we left the Tui Track and followed green horse markers down to the Hope River. There was a bit of a scramble through windfall before we reached the horse gate to the open flats of the Hope River.

After an easy 3hr ride up the Hope River following grassy flats we reached the Hope Kiwi hut around lunchtime. This is a big DOC hut with a horse paddock. It is on the Te Araroa trail, but we had it all to ourselves.

We turned the horses out for a break in the grassy paddock and had lunch and a coffee in the spacious hut. After lunch we tacked up horses again and headed up the incredibly beautiful valley heading towards the Kiwi saddle.

At the head of the grassy valley begins the old Hope-Kiwi pack track through beech forest to Lake Sumner and its a great ride, but we decided to turn off and check out the Lake Marion track.

If this was a mountain bike track it would be grade 4 or 5. At one point horses were sliding on their bums.

Note to self, better to do in dry conditions and need a chainsaw. We were eventually turned around by windfall on steep downhill section. So back to the hut we went for a lamb curry and a wine 🍷.

Next day we were riding out, but decided to go further up the Hope River to St Jacob’s hut for morning tea. This valley is part of a historic stock route to the West Coast over Hope Pass to the Tutaekuri River. There is beautiful ridng through beech forest in this part of the valley.

St Jacob’s hut is a lovely, well cared for old forest service hut. The firewood was neatly stacked, hut sparkling clean and well equipped with excellent selection of pots pans plates and cutlery. Would have loved to spend a night and ridden to the hot springs another couple of hrs up the valley. Have to save that for next time.

After morning tea, we headed back out the way we came. My horse had lost a shoe. Note to self bring spare shoe and nails and hammer next time. Despite the missing shoe, we were back to the highway by 3pm and off to Hamner for a hotpool and stay before heading to Christchurch for showjumping.

Musterers Hut, Hope River.

Crossing Hope River

Back across Boyle River to Horse Floats.

Ponies jumped well and seemed none the worse for two long days of back country riding.

Horse people go do this. Use the DOC tracks. Go back country with your pony. There is so much riding out there and you will be surprised where your horse can go. It’s all waiting for you! Big thanks to DOC, Horse Trails South Trust https://www.facebook.com/HTSTNZ2017?mibextid=2JQ9oc

and Hamner Springs Horse Riders https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064593136286&mibextid=2JQ9oc for marking and clearing horse routes, providing horse paddocks, DOC horse signs, horse access gates and much more. So awesome xxxx.