High Country Grand Tour
Find a combination of all our other trails on this wonderful and diverse ride along the Otematata Ranges. Through mountains and canyons, along the river, past stunning rockformations and endless highland prairie with 360-degree views. Always wanted to feel like a Rohirrim riding through Middle Earth? On this trail you definitely will! Enjoy well-equipped shearers’ quarters, camping and pure nature.
Details
Duration
6 days
5
nights
Riding
5 x 3-6 h
compe-
tent
riders
Price (NZ$)
4.200
Payment Plan
yes
10
staged
Available Dates
06. – 11.
Jan 2027
13. – 18.
Mar 2027
Pick Up & Drop Off
Pick Up: 8.30 am, Camp Street QT
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xcYgBvQxMHdVkG8w9
One taxi for all guests – so please be on time!
Drop Off in Queenstown after trail: 1.30 – 2pm
Riding Location
Otematata Ranges/
Kurow
Included
transfer (Queenstown
to Location & back)
5 nights accommodation
full catering
trekking horse incl.
tack and saddlebags
first aid kit
hard hat(as required)
blue bag, 9kg
(for personal belongs
on packhorse)
Excluded
flight/travel to
and from Queenstown
travel insurance (mandatory!)
alcohol
personal riding & travel gear
personal medication
sleeping bag (hire 15$)
dry bags
rain gear
Summary
Pack trip moving from place to place each night. A varied and easy-going trail through Otematata and Awakino Stations, crossing through Oteake Conservation Park and the Awakino Skifield area. Brand new for our 2026/27 season, this trail is the perfect first pack trip for anyone new to the backcountry and will offer some completely different scenery for our returning guests.
This trip has a little bit of everything; high ridge lines, river crossings and rolling hills. It immediately became a firm favourite for us when we rode it last season.
Accommodation
Three nights in spacious and well-equipped musterer’s huts with separate buildings for cooking and sleeping quarters, one night in a smaller and more basic DOC hut (some of the group will camp in tents at this location) and the final night spent in a traditional country inn.
Food
Expect to eat well on our pack trails!
All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea) for the duration of our time out in the backcountry will be transported with us. The Old Hakataramea Hotel will provide the final night’s dinner and last day’s breakfast.
Adventure Level
3/5 – This trail is suitable for most levels of rider from novice/intermediate upwards. Although the riding is not overly challenging, there is some steeper terrain to tackle and as most of the accommodation is basic, a sense of adventure and general comfort with the outdoors and being away from modern conveniences is recommended!
Due to the rocky, mountainous terrain and having packhorses with us, we ride only at a walk on all our trails, as is traditional throughout most of New Zealand.
Ride Itinerary
Day 1
Approx three hours in the saddle.
You will be collected from Queenstown Airport; the transfer to Otematata Station will take around two hours. Upon arrival, we will share a picnic lunch whilst we have our pre-trail briefing and pack our purpose-built pack trail bags, before loading up the horses and heading for the mountains.
Our first day’s ride is an easy uphill climb into Otematata Station’s hill country, enjoying gorgeous, far-reaching views over the Hawkdun Range. Get acquainted with your horse and lean into the rhythm of life in the mountains.
Forks Hut, our base for the night, is a spacious and well-equipped back country hut with a sleeping cabin and a separate cookhouse / dining room. Once the horses are settled into their paddock for the night, there will be plenty of time for a dip in the creek or a game of scrabble.
Day 2
Approx four hours in the saddle.
On our first full day in the mountains, we will follow the Otematata River as it threads its way through the valley. The terrain is flat and easy and makes for a relaxing day’s ride admiring the mountain ranges all around. This area is characterised by grassy, gently rolling peaks; quite different from much of Central Otago’s dramatic, snow-capped landscape.
We will pass by Harrison’s Spur and have lunch alongside the river, before eventually heading up Chimney Creek in the afternoon. Expect a spectacular sunset and some excellent star-gazing opportunities from Top Chimney Gully Hut; our accommodation for the night.
Day 3
Approx six hours in the saddle.
An action-packed ride with an ascent of almost 3500ft and a wide variety of different terrain; all the makings for the perfect day in the backcountry.
We will start our morning with a short, sharp climb and spend most of the day up on the ridge line with Chimney Creek and the Hawkdun Range below us on one side and the Otematata River and Mary’s Range on the other. You will be able to spot Mount Kyeburn and Mount Buster in the distance.
After having our lunch high up in the hills, we will begin our descent back down into the valley on a gently winding track and, reaching the bottom of the hill, cross the amazingly clear Otematata River into Awakino Station, with just a short ride from here to Tailings Hut.
Just like our previous two night’s accommodation, Tailings is made up of several different buildings, with sleeping quarters and a separate dining / cooking area. When we carried out our recce of this trail, we loved this valley so much that our wranglers couldn’t resist pulling mattresses outside and sleeping out under the stars. An absolutely unforgettable experience for anyone feeling particularly adventurous!
Approx two hours in the saddle (with an optional added ride in the afternoon).
A cruisy morning in the saddle beginning with several crossings of Guffies Creek, before climbing back up into the hills and enjoying the wide expanse of Oteake Conservation Park.
We will reach Hut Creek Hut, a small but cosy DOC hut nestled alongside the stream, in time for lunch. Some of the group will be staying in tents for our final night off the grid and it is up to you whether you would like an afternoon off relaxing at camp with a book or opting to join the trail boss for an additional couple of hours riding in the afternoon whilst the wranglers set up camp for the night. This will involve climbing further into the nearby mountain ranges and heading for the excellently named Mount Bitterness!
Day 4
Approx five hours in the saddle.
Our final day’s riding is a real stunner; we will start out following Hut Creek before leaving the river behind and making our way straight through Mary’s Range. This is an excellent ride for those wanting to experience the otherworldly beauty of crossing a scree mountain face on horseback without having to do anything too scary!
The track we take is wide and solid all the way across and makes for a fantastic morning in the saddle. We will drop down to the Awakino River at lunchtime and leave the mountains behind; the scenery changes yet again and the final couple of hours riding is through flat and green pastureland, passing grazing cattle.
We finish by joining the Awakino Skifield Road, where you will spot our big red truck parked up. From here, there will be a short transfer into Kurow where you will be reunited with your luggage and with civilisation!
We will be spending the night at the Old Hakataramea Hotel. Enjoy a hot shower before swapping trail stories over dinner.
Day 5
Enjoy a final breakfast at the hotel, before your transfer back to Queenstown.
Day 6
Trail Gallery
