Highlights
- Ride with Auckland's only permitted operator for horse treks on Muriwai Beach
- Explore private Woodhill Forest trails with exclusive access
- Ride with expert, experienced guides, max 8 riders, guaranteed 1:4 ratio
- Begin safely with no experience needed and a full safety briefing
- Ride purpose-bred/selected trekking horses with custom saddles, welfare checks
Description
Most people who visit Auckland never make it to Muriwai Beach. It is 40 minutes from the city, wild and unhurried, black sand running in both directions as far as you can see.
Riding Muriwai Beach on horseback is a different thing entirely. You leave the dunes behind and move along the shoreline with the Tasman to your left. Eventually your horse will slow at a fresh water hole and do what horses do — drink, and splash, and take their time. It is the kind of moment you don't quite expect and don't forget.
Muriwai Beach Horse Treks has held the Auckland City Council permit for this land since 2013. No other operator has it. The route continues into Woodhill Forest, private pine land closed to the general public, reachable only through this booking.
Expert guides ride with you throughout, one for every four riders, each with ten or more years in the saddle and Level 2 first aid certification. You are matched to your horse before the trek begins. No riding experience is required.
This is a walking-pace morning trek, depending on the group as a whole and their experience level some trotting may occur however this is at the discretion of the guides on the day. It departs at 9:30am, takes 2 hours on horseback, and stays with most people for considerably longer than that.
Rated by The New Zealand Herald as one of New Zealand's Top 5 horse treks.
Note: itinerary subject to change based on weather and tides, we may spend more or less time on the black sand beach than is noted in the itinerary.
Includes
2-hour guided horse trek across Muriwai Beach, sand dunes, scrubland, and Woodhill Forest
NZ Safety-approved equestrian helmet & high-visibility vest
Full safety and instructional briefing before the ride
Excludes
Transport to and from Muriwai Beach (no rideshare services in this rural area; guests must drive or arrange private transport)
Food and beverages
Gratuities for guides
Important Information
- Arrive by 9:15am for a 9:30am departure. Late arrivals are turned away without refund
- Weight limit: 95kg strict. Scales onsite. Guests over 95kg turned away without refund unless prior arrangement made with operator
- Minimum age: 10 years. Riders aged 10-15 must be accompanied by a paying adult rider
- Wear long pants or leggings and closed-toe shoes (mandatory). No thongs, crocs, or open-toe footwear
- Rides operate in most weather
- What happens if the weather isn't looking ideal?
- We generally ride in all weather. We do our best to work in and around the weather but we do not have any control over it and cannot guarantee the weather will be ideal. We advise you to bring a raincoat and warm clothes and in summer, please use sunblock and other sun protection methods. The weather at Muriwai Beach is very changeable and Muriwai is considered to be a microclimate so the weather forecast can be quite unreliable
Easy cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
