Hanmer Springs · St James high country
Where the road ends, the ride begins.
Guided horseback journeys through 78,000 hectares of wild New Zealand backcountry — from an afternoon in the saddle to four days deep in the mountains.
Day Rides
No experience needed. From a 90-minute backcountry loop to a full day in the high country — in the saddle by morning, back by dusk.
From $160 · explore day rides
Expeditions
Pack horses, hot-spring soaks and nights in canvas tipis with wood stoves. From a beginner-friendly night at the springs to a four-day alpine crossing — every trip private, the pace set to you.
From $1,300 · explore expeditions
Journeys into the
St James wilderness
Every expedition is a private trip — just you and your crew. We match the horse to the rider, carry the camp, and follow the weather into the wild.
Fowlers Circuit
Four days deep in St James — over Fowlers Pass at 1,296 m, down the Stanley valley to the Cow Stream hot springs, and out. Choose the Original or the Freedom Edition.
Minimum age 10Max rider weight 110 kg
View the journey
Natural Hot Springs Wilderness Trip — One Night
A luxury escape into the mountains: an easy ride in to a private camp at the Cow Stream hot pools, soak under the stars, ride home the next day.
Minimum age 10Max rider weight 110 kg
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Natural Hot Springs Wilderness Trip — Two Nights
The same private hot-springs escape, with a full free day in the saddle — ride hard, explore the basin, then soak it off for a second night.
Minimum age 10Max rider weight 110 kg
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We trade city lights for campfire sparks, and paved roads for river crossings. Out here the horses set the rhythm — and the country does the rest.
The tack room, St James Homestead
Who we are
Not a tourist ride.
A way back to wild.
We’re a small outfit of riders and guides who’d rather be in the hills than anywhere else. For overseas drifters, freedom chasers and the plain curious — we open up country most people never see.
Alpine ridgelines, river crossings, hot springs that steam under a sky thick with stars. We bring the horses, the camp and the know-how. You bring the appetite for it.
