Has anyone heard about River Valley? No? Don’t worry, even many kiwis didn’t know about this place when I asked them. For about 3 hours our Kiwi bus was going through the most stunning scenery you could possibly imagine. Suddenly we stopped in front of a very narrow road and the driver announced that from here on we have to walk to the lodge. This accommodation was in the middle of nowhere, totally hidden in a big forest and a great river.
Just imagine an outdoor lodge situated in stunning scenery and when you enter the wood sanctuary, a great big fireplace awaits and a incredible chef who makes the most incredible homemade creations – traditional country style cooking! It’s a world of outdoor experiences and fun right at your doorstep.River Valley Lodge is actually adventure lodge accommodation, situated next to the breathtaking Rangitikei River.
It’s a blend of traditional ski lodge or tramping hut type dorms, mixed in with more conventional bunkrooms, and tasteful, comfortable double rooms. There is really no where else quite like it! This was the first accommodation that was a great place to meet all of the people on the bus from all over the world and just to hang out.
The next day we had an option to do River rafting or Horse trekking. I of course decided on the Horse trekking, because I could use my camera, it said “Lord of the Rings scenery” 😉 and nobody wanted to do it, mostly all of them went rafting.
It was the best decision from the whole tour! I had to manoeuvre my own horse, which was incredibly scary! The teacher told us that we have to be the boss of the horse and believe it! Every second I was telling myself “I’m the boss, I’m the boss” but when my friendly horsey suddenly started galloping I screamed “OK OK your the boss, your the boss!!!” 😉 Even when the horse started racing without no reason I managed to stay on it, while a Kiwi friend unfortunately fell down, but she was OK. All in all it was just an amazing experience, going through nature with a horse enjoying the silence and sunshine. This was the most prime chance to feel the life of rural New Zealand countryside, and the opportunity to feel the scary exhilaration of a galloping horse.
