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My love for horses and competing has taken me around the world, leading me to meet my husband in Japan, and bringing us and our three beautiful children to Northland in 2007. When we settled in this breathtaking, untouched landscape I discovered my happy place was right here, trekking on horseback in Bream Bay paradise. I believe happiness should be shared, and so, in 2016, I founded Waipu Horse Adventures, the only award-winning horse trekking destination in the region, to share the joys of horse trekking with others.
At Waipu Horse Adventures, we specialise in curating amazing experiences backed by quality service and genuine customer care. Our highly-qualified team of horsewomen take great pride in offering safe, guided horse treks to beginners through to intermediate riders of 5 years and up. Whether you are looking to create memories to last a lifetime or simply escape from the day-to-day, Waipu Horse Adventures is the place to come. Here you will learn about horses and join us on a spectacular scenic tour of the area. You will have the chance to connect with nature and the gentle four-legged creature paired with you for the journey, and experience the serenity and exhilaration of a Waipu Horse Adventure.
We first started out with just three horses: Rhubarb, Missy and Ellie. As former harness trotters, these horses (like our entire herd today, with the exception of the mysterious Ody) had never been ridden prior to joining our team. Chosen for their kind natures, these are three dependable horses with distinctive characters. Demand for our services increased almost immediately and today we have a growing herd of over a dozen gentle horses, each trained to be ridden by us. We take the time to get to know each of our guests so that we can match them to the most suitable horse, thereby giving them the best possible experience.
Over the years, our endeavours have touched hundreds of lives – horse and human –earning us Travel & Hospitality’s 2019 Northland Adventure Experience of the Year, as well as the 2018 Oceania Unique Adventure Tourism Award, and many repeat clients.
Book now for an unforgettable and rewarding experience.
We can’t wait to share our happy place with you" ~ Adele, Owner & Founder
We’ll be honest, our motley horse crew can be hard to keep up with, but these special ladies (and Adele’s son Jamie) sure do make it look like a walk on the beach.
With over 70 years’ combined equestrian experience, the team at Waipu Horse Adventures take great pride in training horses and attending to their daily needs.
Adele’s youngest son loves to join in the fun and earn a few extra dollars in the holidays. He is very outgoing and a great little rider.
Maddy has consistently been one of the most successful show jumpers in the Northland region. As Adele’s daughter, when she is not away show jumping, training young horses or teaching horse riding, she can often be seen helping Mum out at Waipu Horse Adventures.
Vanessa has been with us for over 3 years. She has lived next door to us since she was nine years old and feels like one of the family. Vanessa is currently finishing her degree at Lincoln University and will then take the reins of her family farm. Vanessa still finds time to help us out when needed. She is an excellent guide with great people skills.
Kayla currently attends school at Tauroa and works with us on the weekends and during holidays. We are proud to have taught Kayla to ride and lease to her (for free) her horse, (stinky) Malinky. A great little rider and fabulous worker, Kayla is loves horses with sincere passion.
Our newest member, Debbie, is a no-fuss kinda girl who’s great with horses and clients alike. An excellent horsewoman, Debbie has been in the racing industry her whole working life and is a huge asset to any stable. Debbie is very involved with the care of the horses and loves spending time with them. She possesses fantastic equine knowledge and integrity.
Heloise has been with Waipu Horse Adventures for two years but to watch her work, you would think she had been one of the team since the dawn of time. The manager of Waipu Horse Adventures and Adele’s right-hand woman, Heloise is an excellent asset to our team, having been around horses most of her life. With a background in real estate, Heloise is a great communicator, making her an ideal administrator and customer liaison. Fun and cheerful, Heloise is most happy on the back of a horse.
As a UK former professional Steeplechase jockey, Adele Greatorex has more than 45 years’ equestrian experience. Her career has seen her travel the world over for competitions and to train horses for riding and competition. She has three children, two of which are show-jumpers themselves. Her eldest daughter and top Northland show jumper, Maddison Greatorex has competed across New Zealand and co-runs their successful show-jumping stable in Mangapai. Adele met her husband, Julian, an itinerant horse dentist, in Japan. Together they breed warmbloods for show-jumping, which is his passion.
All of our horses are what we call standard breeds. They are known for their solid characters, safe and kind natures, and are highly tolerant compared to other breeds. As a thoroughbred with an unknown history, Ody is our only exception. What we do know about Ody is that she is one in a million and loved by all that meet her. All former harness racehorses, our horses have each come to us with no prior riding experience. We have given them a new life, training them ourselves to be ridden and taking excellent care of each personality.
Like Prince, Trooper is also a new arrival and just learning his trade. He is very sweet natured and devoted to his Prince.
A staff favourite, Prince is everything a prince should be: confident and kind-natured. Prince is just learning his trade and will be a great asset to our team.
What Stella lacks in size she makes up for in attitude. She can be quite bossy towards the other girls in the herd and finds Ody’s perfect nature exasperating. Great horse on a Premium Trek for a canter. Stella is very close with Jono.
Adele’s absolute favourite, second only to Ody. Wonky is a highly dependable, gentle giant perfect for a long canter along the beach, and helping horse-riding beginners to feel at ease.
Ody is a pure delight and the most popular lady on the farm by far! She rarely puts a foot wrong making her the belle of every ball. Ody and Ru are close buds
Our Boomer with no boom. Quiet and rather laid-back, Boomer is a cuddly dude and best friends with Ollie.
Well, what can we say? He is very dependable, but he sure does have a mind of his own. Ollie is our resident Houdini, capable of performing great tricks – among which include stealing feed buckets and escaping any paddock!
Missy hates loud noises and doesn’t appreciate loud people. Sweet and gentle in nature, Missy loves a good cuddle. Her daughter and granddaughter are stunning. We all love Missy.
Like Jono, Harry is also a larger horse and a comfortable ride, great for Private and Premium Treks. He was also a successful racehorse until he retired because of a broken cannon bone, but ask anyone at the farm and you’ll learn he’s our resident movie star.
Jono was a successful racehorse until retiring from injury. Very comfortable to ride, he is a bigger horse and a wannabe-don. Great for a Premium Trek package
Sea is the don and not one to be crossed! Nevertheless, Sea is easy to love. (His great love, on the other hand, is food and his belly!) Out on a trek, Sea is best behaved when leading the group.
Ellie is the boss of the girls and doesn’t take to kindly to them stealing her thunder. She likes to be out front, preferably as a guide’s horse. Fun to ride, she is confident but easy. And it’s no secret that she’s in love with Harry!
Laid-back Rhubarb doesn’t like trouble. He is our go-to for young children and is fantastic when led by Sea. Rhubarb’s ability to get along with all makes him much adored by horses and people alike.
