Spend Time on a Horse Farm in New Zealand: Bucket List Check. ✅

Last week was a total mixed bag; half of it was so awesome, half of it kind of sucked. This post is about the fun part.

One of Stu’s closest childhood friends and his partner were visiting from Australia a few weeks ago. They came to Whitianga and we got to spend some time with them. I met them for the first time last year, when we all went to a rugby game and then hung out late into the evening having some beers and laughing a lot. I just adore them.

The night before they were leaving Whiti….hold up, UPDATE: They got engaged while they were here!!! They just made that public on social media so I can now add that in. Huge congrats to you two! Can’t wait for the wedding!
So the night before they left, it came up that I was heading to Auckland for a doctor’s appointment the following week. It turns out Stu’s friend and his partner would be in a suburb north of Auckland the same day, staying for a few nights with her mom (“mum”), and would I like to stay with them there for a few days? On her mum’s horse farm?

WHAT. Um, YES I want to spend two days on your mother’s horse farm in the hills of New Zealand.

My friend’s mum is, unsurprisingly, just as sweet and funny and kick-ass as her daughter. She welcomed me to their farm, which is home to 4-5 gorgeous horses, 3 miniature horses, 4 (5? 6?) mini Schnauzers (I swear to god everywhere I looked there was a Schnauzer), a dozen chickens, a lop-eared bunny, and several large cages full of cockatiels, Chinese button quail, something that looked like small parrots but were in fact a different bird entirely but I forget what they are, and a number of other exotic birds. Plus her mum’s gardens were the best ones I’ve seen since my own mum’s gardens back home, resplendent with dahlias, sunflowers and something called a “swan bush” which attracts Monarch butterflies. I was in heaven.

But wait, it gets even better. They put me in the guest room, which has a sliding glass door that opens right onto the miniature horse paddock. I woke up to ponies outside my door every morning. Are you kidding me?! They were super excited to see me (read: they wanted to know if I had snacks for them), and one morning I went to the door armed with carrots my friend had given to me to give to them. Oh man, did they come trotting over! And then I ran out of carrots and they decided to try and come in my room to see if I was hiding any more. It was so funny when one of them stepped his tiny hoof through the doorway, until I suddenly realized that I was about to have three ponies in the house. I managed to back him out before I was run over. When I told my friend about it, she just shrugged and went “Meh. I’m sure they’ve broken into the house before.” Love these people.

I happened to be visiting the morning that a renowned jumping trainer was there to give three separate lessons to a half dozen riders of varying abilities (but even the “beginners” were really impressive), so I sat and sipped my morning coffee while I watched the most beautiful horses and their skilled riders take turns jumping. A few of my friend’s mum’s own horses were ridden, including a black and white pinto draft horse with gigantic feet and a flowing mane and tail which has literally been my dream horse since I was six years old. And oh my god, there is talk about me possibly getting to ride him the next time–‘the next time’!– I’m there….!?!

As I was bidding everyone a fond farewell after an amazing visit, I told my friend’s mum that I would GLADLY drive two hours to pet- and house-sit for them if they were ever in a bind. I don’t know if overseeing an actual farm counts as “pet-sitting,” but I really do hope they take me up on it.

I packed up my little car (yes, yes, I promise to tell you about my little car!) and drove a few hours to a DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite at Uretiti Beach, about an hour and a half north of Auckland on the east coast, where I camped—in my car—for the night. I’ve done it before, putting the back seats down and making a little nest, and it’s actually not a bad night’s sleep. Plus it was a 30 second walk over the dunes to the beach, and DOC campsites (at least the ones I’ve been to) are tidy, well-managed, and very safe. I was the only person sleeping in a car and not a campervan, but who cares. I hung out on the beach under the stars, had some beers, enjoyed a pre-prepared box lunch from New World* for dinner, read a book under the covers with a flashlight, slept in my car, took a very cold yet refreshing morning shower, and was packed up and on the road at 8am the next day.

*Although New World, one of NZ’s largest grocery store chains, sells tasty and reasonably-priced boxed lunches, they fail to include a spoon with which to eat the cute little yogurt. Luckily I figured this out before I got to the beach, so I swung into an op shop (thrift shop) that I passed on the way. NZ has the *best* (and most plentiful!) op shops and I try and stop at every one I pass. I went in looking for a spoon, which I found for $.50, but I also stumbled across this absolutely baller espresso machine for an absolute fraction of its insane retail price, so now we can make delicious flat whites (like creamy lattés) in the comfort of our own home. PS: isn’t it the best color, too?!

So yeah: that was the very, very fun part of last week.

PS: Oh my god, L&M, I am just so happy for you two! Congrats again!!! ❤️