NRC started 2015 with a seriously great adventure for 5 of its members. We were to be 6 but due to poor Tolly having an 11th hour injury, he and his lovely mum, Karen, had to pull out. Devastating for the both and here's hoping a speedy recovery for Tolly.
NRC started 2015 with a seriously great adventure for 5 of its members. We were to be 6 but due to poor Tolly having an 11th hour injury he and his lovely mum, Karen, had to pull out. Devastating for them both and but here's hoping a speedy recovery for Tolly.
We all traveled in convoy leaving Wakefield at midday, and arriving at Ward 3 hrs later....excited but tired. We fed and bedded down our trusty steeds and then booked the courtesy bus to take us for a sumptuous feed at the East Coast Pub in Ward. We couldn't fault the service and the food...you must pop in if you are ever passing.
Getting back to the homestead was a delight, warm, cozy, plenty of beds to choose from, hot showers and flushing loos!!! A theme that was to continue throughout the 4 days. We had organised to do our own food each night after that, taking turns to prepare meals for everyone. Jo and Irene's meat ball meal was to die for, Sarah and Julia put on fillet steak and extras and Patricia whipped up a pasta delight. Jo taught us all to play 5 Crowns card game, which we played every night after dinner..not competitive at all! Yeah right!..I don't think we were in bed before 11 o'clock on any of the nights...lots of stories and laughter as we all got to know each other just a little better.
What followed was 4 days of trekking excellence, through some of the regions most breathtaking scenery. Each day was different with varying distances and terrain, allowing us all to experience a variety of individual challenges and group dynamic.
We all rose beautifully to these challenges and ultimately felt a great sense of accomplishment, both with ourselves and with our horses.
The family farms, which we had the privilege of riding through, are steeped in history telling a tale of a long-line of two families commitment to farming the region and making it a way of life for generations, past and present.
Look out for the new release film, 'A light between two oceans'...it was filmed at the lighthouse, our third nights accommodation and was only finished in November 2014.
The party of riders and horses consisted of Jolene Rushbrooke and Paris, Irene Keeley and Stell, Julia Postle and Joe, Patricia Warhurst and April and myself (Sarah Wilkin) and Rainmaker. I so enjoyed everyone's company, and their horses and felt very secure in the knowledge that if anything were to go wrong we would all pull together and look after each other :-)
....thank you ladies for being part of some very special memories!
I feel like this could be the start of things to come and it would great to see it as an annual event for Nelson Riding Club. I would be back there in a heart beat!
I hope you have had a chance to enjoy some of Jo's photos on our NRC Facebook page and the ones that are attached to this report.
If you think this is something you think you might like to do in the future, please feel free to ask anyone of the group about the trek...hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Happy Trails....Sarah Wilkin (Vice-President)
We all traveled in convoy leaving Wakefield at midday, and arriving at Ward 3 hrs later....excited but tired. We fed and bedded down our trusty steeds and then booked the courtesy bus to take us for a sumptuous feed at the East Coast Pub in Ward. We couldn't fault the service and the food...you must pop in if you are ever passing.
Getting back to the homestead was a delight, warm, cozy, plenty of beds to choose from, hot showers and flushing loos!!! A theme that was to continue throughout the 4 days. We had organised to do our own food each night after that, taking turns to prepare meals for everyone. Jo and Irene's meat ball meal was to die for, Sarah and Julia put on fillet steak and extras and Patricia whipped up a pasta delight. Jo taught us all to play 5 Crowns card game, which we played every night after dinner..not competitive at all! Yeah right!..I don't think we were in bed before 11 o'clock on any of the nights...lots of stories and laughter as we all got to know each other just a little better.
What followed was 4 days of trekking excellence, through some of the regions most breathtaking scenery. Each day was different with varying distances and terrain, allowing us all to experience a variety of individual challenges and group dynamic.
We all rose beautifully to these challenges and ultimately felt a great sense of accomplishment, both with ourselves and with our horses.
The family farms, which we had the privilege of riding through, are steeped in history telling a tale of a long-line of two families commitment to farming the region and making it a way of life for generations, past and present.
Look out for the new release film, 'A light between two oceans'...it was filmed at the lighthouse, our third nights accommodation and was only finished in November 2014.
The party of riders and horses consisted of Jolene Rushbrooke and Paris, Irene Keeley and Stell, Julia Postle and Joe, Patricia Warhurst and April and myself (Sarah Wilkin) and Rainmaker. I so enjoyed everyone's company, and their horses and felt very secure in the knowledge that if anything were to go wrong we would all pull together and look after each other :-)
....thank you ladies for being part of some very special memories!
I feel like this could be the start of things to come and it would great to see it as an annual event for Nelson Riding Club. I would be back there in a heart beat!
I hope you have had a chance to enjoy some of Jo's photos on our NRC Facebook page and the ones that are attached to this report.
If you think this is something you think you might like to do in the future, please feel free to ask anyone of the group about the trek...hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Happy Trails....Sarah Wilkin (Vice-President)