Unforgettable New Zealand Journey
Learnings from my trip to NZ
Enjoy your Saturday morning with a coffee and a smile :)
Last month I had an awesome holiday by rail through New Zealand.
Horse wise New Zealand is a mix of contrasts. Here are some facts about the New Zealand horse world:
The first horses were introduced to New Zealand by Anglican missionary Reverend Samuel Marsden in December 1814.
Wild horses were first reported in the Kaimanawa Range in 1876. The Kaimanawa breed descends from domestic horses that were released into the ranges in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
In 1981 a protected area for horses known as the “Kaimanawa Wild Horses" was established on an old military training reserve of the North Island. Since then their numbers have soared. They will even roam the streets of the towns in the area. You can read more about them here.
Sir Mark Todd is among New Zealand's most celebrated, with two Olympic gold and three bronze medals, and every other major title available to him in the sport of three-day eventing. His Olympic career has been outstanding.
His most notable horse was Charisma, the 15.2 hands Thoroughbred (with 1/16 Percheron) Todd rode when winning successive Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1988. Others have won at Olympic games and World Championships.
This is extraordinary when you consider there are only about 40,000 horses in New Zealand, the distances traveled, and the population of 5.5 Million in the North Island and only 1 million in the South Island.
Cambridge is the Equine Capital of New Zealand. Some of the world's best racehorses have been bred there while many Thoroughbred and Standardbred trainers are based in the district. Their most famous stud is Cambridge Stud.
Notable Thoroughbred racehorses from New Zealand include:
Il Tempo, the greatest New Zealand stayer.
Grey Way, who defeated every champion in New Zealand and broke an Australasian record.
Horlicks, winner of the Japan Cup in world record time.
Balmerino, a champion international racehorse.
Phar Lap, legendary stayer. (See his story here - The Bony Truth about Phar Lap)
6. James McDonald! One of the best jockeys in the world.
During my stay I was lucky enough to visit the largest sales complex in the Southern Hemisphere, at Karaka, where I stayed overnight at the on-site hotel.
What an amazing complex it is, and so beautiful with stabling capacity for 1500 horses, grooms, function centre, exquisite parade grounds, and much more.
My Observations
New Zealand is an incredibly beautiful place, mostly huge flats of coastal plains formed by the rivers, earthquakes and volcanic action. These were mostly taken over by huge dairy farms - an average farm having perhaps 1200 head of black and white Friesians, sometimes Jerseys amongst them to keep up the butterfat %.
There are no “hills,” but mountain ranges and deep cut gorges, high enough to be snow capped in summer. It has well recognized ski-resorts, and some of the largest wilderness areas in the world, protecting glacial regions, and the extensive native beech forests.
It also has many intrusive species, such as deer, goats, pigs, weasels, stoats and Australian possums. As a result of the culling of deer, the population in the wild attracts hunters from all over the world.
Deer farming has developed to the point where New Zealand leads the world in deer farming. Velvet from antlers is harvested for the Asian market, and the venison is exported.
Great attempts have been made to reduce numbers of invasive species as they prey on indigenous species. These are the flightless birds, all vulnerable, so there are breeding programmes and sanctuaries for all of them. Even the wilding of pine forests occurs - now these must be sprayed by helicopter to reduce their spread.
The largest native mammal is a small bat the size of a mouse.
I traveled by train and bus through the centre and coastal areas of New Zealand, but rarely saw a horse, except when we passed a TB stud. And there were a few Clydesdale studs. There were many provincial racetracks, where TBs and Standardbred racing was combined.
Greyhound racing is quite large, but while I was there, the government has cracked down, and is closing down all greyhound meets, phasing it out over 2 years. Now there are only 6 countries left in the world which allow greyhound racing.
Occasionally there were a group of horses, near a town in open paddocks. What struck me was they all looked like part-heavy horses, and most had a pinto or Appy amongst them. (I wondered if having so many black and white cows was part of the attraction for coloured horses?)
Coming from a state in drought, it was breathtaking to see green grass and huge open paddocks. And we had perfect weather for the entire month. I just loved the place.
Some photos for those who might be interested.
This weeks poll results:
So perhaps can I ask what is stopping you from setting goals or planning ahead for 2025?
Take a look at this post so that you can turn 2025 into the best year yet.
Enjoy your weekend!
Beautiful pictures and landscapes, thank you for sharing a slice of your life.
looks absolutely stunning!!! so glad you had a great time 🙌