Ben Lomond Historic Gold Trail

Riding Day 1

5 hours riding

Breathtaking Ben Lomond Station

IMPORTANT NOTE: it is advised that riders stay in Queenstown the evening before, just to be sure there are no delays.

You will need to arrive in your riding clothes; we will transport your suitcases in my 4 wheel drive. Please, could you make sure that the suitcases are small as there is not much room with all the other stuff I will be carrying.

Meet your adventure horses who are saddled up ready for you to begin your Ben Lomond historic gold trail.

We will aim to ride out no later than 1:30pm.

Today we ride beside the river through Ben Lomond station which is privately owned, heading for our accommodation for the evening, Ben Lomond Lodge

We pass many of the old buildings and gold claims utilized by the gold miners. You can feel their eyes upon you as you ride passed their claims.

Gold was discovered in the Moke and Moonlight Valleys in 1862 and brought a flood of miners.  Over 3000 people lived in the Moke and Moonlight valleys during the gold rush.  

These rivers were some of the richest in the world – there are stories of the early miners pulling up several ounces of gold with every shovelful – thousands of dollars today!  

(thanks to Ben Lomond Journeys for this information)

Riding Day 2

5 hours riding

Mountain Magic and Horse Happiness

After a hearty breakfast we ride out around 10am.

Today we are exploring the mountain ranges and heading out to the Ben Lomond back hut for lunch.

This station has so many locations that gold miners had claims and you can see the workings as we ride by. Evidence is all around us as wild oregano, beautiful black berries, wild goats and gooseberry bushes grow from the seeds that the miners brought with them to our land. Food and survival where paramount.

We are riding through New Zealand’s living history and it is amazing to see.

Riding Day 3

5 hours riding

Lets get lost in the love of Mother Natures gifts-  

After a hearty breakfast we ride out around 10am.

Today we ride the mountain ranges heading to the high mountain peaks to enjoy lunch with an incredible view.

Mountain Magic exploring Ben Lomond Station, Queenstown NZ South Island

Riding Day 4

5 hours riding

Ride that River of Dreams

After a hearty breakfast we ride out around 10am.

Today ride along the river wandering back to Moak Lake riding a different route than that which we came in on.

As we follow the shot over river the mountains flank our trail, beauty surrounds us as we finish this amazing trail and head back into civilization.

Can you spot the horse and riders in this photograph?

If you love getting lost in nature this is your trail, I love the fact that we blend into the environment. Totally sustainable travel, maintaining the traditions of this historic location.

On arrival back at the station shearing shed, your taxi is waiting to return you to Queenstown airport

Adventure Horses, a part of everything without intruding on nature, Queenstown NZ South Island