Duration: 4, 5 or 6 day trips
Season: 1st November to 31st March (Exception: No departures from the 20th December to the 5th January)
Duration: 2-4 days
Season: 1st November to 31st May
Conditions: Minimum Age 13 Years. Maximum weight 100kg.
Build your own riding holiday, honing your natural horsemanship skills and exploring the spectacular scenery on horseback. 2,3,4 day options.
A Home on the Range horse trekking holiday is an experience where you can get to know your horse, bond with it, and feel your confidence, knowledge and enjoyment improve as you explore new countryside, and undertake rides that have greater levels of challenge.
This is a custom riding holiday, we can tailor the type of rides and the duration to suit you.
Duration: 2 days and 2 nights
Season: 1st November to 31st May
Conditions: Minimum age 13
River Wild, Mountain High is the ultimate adventure package! Two Days and Two Nights of adrenaline packed adventure. Grade 5 rafting or scenic rafting, horse back riding, great food, deluxe or bunk room accommodation.
Duration: Custom
Season: All year round. Some activities have seasonal restrictions.
A Stay & Play package is the perfect way to experience some of the best things River Valley has to offer. If you are wanting to stay at River Valley and try one of our adventure activities then this is the package for you.
Arriving too late for dinner, but keen on a hearty breakfast before a day’s adventuring and discovery?
Or, maybe you are a traveller on your way through who wants something quite different from the normal Motel or B&B. An Adventure Lodge stay in beautiful surroundings.
Either way, a River Valley Bed n’ Breakfast deal could be just what you are looking for.
Careful though, you never know, you may be tempted to stay longer! This package is also an easy hassle free option for late arrivals for activities the following day.
Not all adventurers want to rough it, and while Weekends are when many people getaway, this deal is available at anytime.
After all you have worked hard and in your time off, you simply want to have the best. And why shouldn’t you?
A River Valley Lodge Double Trouble package is good food, comfy accommodation, great for time out, relaxing after a day’s adventuring or a romantic night away. This package is ideal as part of a Weekend Getaway, whether that be playing on a river, riding a horse or simply relaxing by the river with a good book.
Country and Rock
Being a part of something that gets me out of bed and motivated every morning. Something I feel passionate about.
Still finding joy in being out on the river, especially wilderness overnight trips, and safety catarafting and doing photos over the winter.
The opportunity to be creative.
There are no single ones. A mix though of working with some really good people, and being able to visit some beautiful places (on a regular basis)
Family, writing, photography and video, rafting. Still like to be up with the play on current events, and have not lost the interest in history. NZ Warriors fan (Rugby League)
Since 1986
Since 1986
Encouraging people to get outside their comfort zones, whether on a horse or on the river, can for some people be life changing. Another world opens up to them – a more natural world. Seeing this happen can be immensely rewarding.
Is known to comment after some high water cataraft trips – “Sometimes it’s just good for the soul to go and get scared shitless!”
Periodically Brian is available for speaking engagements. His subjects (amongst others) include:
The River Valley Story
Rafting the Grand Canyon
Rafting the Zanskar in India
Each presentation is generally accompanied by a slide show.
If you are interested in Brian speaking to your group then you can contact him by clicking here
‘Apply Now’ form to be added here
Country
People and the living spirit that dwells here at the Valley.
Stoat trapping with Roger’s Angels.
Drinking gin
since 2015
Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself.
Wonderwall, because it keeps Derek away.
Hanging out with the weird bunch of people that work here
Getting to go rafting and horse riding on my days off
Experiencing life away from the city – learning new skills/wilderness survival/wildlife identification on a daily basis.
So many!
Birthday raft trips.
Max’s first trip rowing on the scenic…then swimming Chute
Drinking margaritas on boats
Drinking margaritas at the bar
Buying or making dresses (learned to sew from the master, Coke Sage)
Towel origami
Looking really excited
Cheering the other staff up
Derek.
since 2015
Youtube parties with Tom and Janey; Lindsay singing “Dream On”
The vegetable garden, winter, afternoon summer swims, our chickens & scrubbing potatoes.
Over night raft trips. Sleeping on the back of a dory. Going on a Lodge to Lodge Horse Trek. Going to Koanga and learning to forage.
Wine. Being Ridiculous. Camping. Road trips. Travelling. Tattoos. Day dreaming.
8
Like Helen Keller said:
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
Rafting
Kayaking and drinking
1 working and 20 altogether.
Yeah, nah.
No triple degrees in classical Greek. I have bother trying to write this. Brought up out here in the country and just don’t want to leave. My teacher and classroom has been sitting out in the hills and mixing with people from all walks of life who come here from all around the world. This has triggered a lot of thinking from within myself.
Into all sorts of music. Anything that helps to free us up and touch the deeper spots. My latest project has been reviving the old dual piano combination that I used to have with my old mate, wife Robin, and jamming together again. You can listen to our rendition of “Green Door” by clicking here
There is a good spirit here and it’s great relating to people in that atmosphere. It should be like this all around the world.
This is a tough one when I find it difficult to remember what I had for breakfast this morning. I’ll have to pass. There are just too many good memories.
I have a little mission – just a small project. Working from my multi media studio I’m out to change the world! It looks as though no one else is going to do it so unless I do something its not going to happen and we’ll all go down the tubes! I’ve discovered that we are all carrying around the answers to a whole new world within ourselves, but we rarely ever go there. That’s what I am promoting.
It’s so long ago I can’t remember
Since 1986
I feel that in spite of the fact that many things around the globe are reaching a crisis point we are at the brink of breaking into something that will prove to be very wonderful – amazing! And we’ll look back and think what bloody fools we have been when this has been sitting right under our noses for centuries. I hope to be around to see this happen. I think I will!
I love being able to safely push people a little out of their comfort zones (especially on the horses). The buzz they get from this at the end of an activity I think speaks for itself. I then get the buzz when these guests come back again for more!!!
There are a few, but the night out at the New Zealand Tourism Awards and winning the Small Business Award won’t fade in a hurry. Not only the winning (and the party) but the sense of achievement that all the Staff had too.
Chairperson Board of Trustees, local primary school
Being a Mum
Chairman of local (Pukeokahu) Play Group
Helping to organise and ride on the Pukeokahu Horse Trek Fundraiser each year.
14 yrs rafting, around 17 horse trekking
Since I was born, and lots more to come
I am really enjoying reliving my childhood through my girls. With new exciting things that are happening with River Valley and the Stables (especially the Natural Horsemanship) and Isla and Keeva growing all the time, I can only see this getting more and more exciting.
Came to live at River Valley at 2 years of age, when my parents had our family farm here, which backed on to the Rangitikei River. 20yrs later River Valley was born and have been with it from that time. Have a triple degree in being a Mum and Mamma, 3 daughters and 3 granddaughters.
I love all kinds of music, but recently I’m being reacquainted with Nursery Rhymes.
Our amazing team, they just keep getting better. Being able to follow my passion working with horses. Having our children and grandchildren around. Living in such a beautiful place and being in a position to see the pleasure it gives other people when they experience it too.
When I was a guide on the Grade 5 lining up the Fulcrum Rapid at a solid flow, I was so zoned, sometimes I don’t think I could even hear the sound of the river!
Trekking with friends, gardening, buying new horses, being a grandparent, experiencing new places, watching movies and the simple things in life.
5yrs river guiding, (now retired), while guiding on the horses is a constant
Since 1986
Be yourself, nobody is better qualified.
Remember you are unique………just like everyone else.
If you can dream it you can do it.
Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.
