river valley adventures

Hi PeteThanks for your great comments about your horse riding experience with River Valley Stables.Hope to see you back sometime.All the best in your travels.Brian Megaw

Hi MathaisThank you for your review of your stay at River Valley. It is always great to hear that people have had a fantastic stay with us, and are willing to share those thoughts with others.All the bestBrian Megaw

Hi CraigThanks for taking the time to write this review. I am afraid Arnie has not come back this year, spending the Northern Hemisphere winter at home this time round. Really good to hear you enjoyed the trip.We have changed the pricing schedule a little with trip photos, however what we find is that customers do not appreciate that a real live person was on the river taking those photos with expensive camera equipment. Not only that, but that person was also paid real wages. This is what you pay for. The cost of the USB stick is obviously minor.Brian Megaw

Hi SamanthaThanks for taking the time to write this review. Derek does love to take out fishing trips!The river has been fishing very well this season as other anglers have also found.I hope the rest of your fishing holiday went equally as well.Brian Megaw

Hi GuysThanks for the great review. It is always wonderful to know that people are having fantastic experiences at River Valley.All the best in your travels.Brian Megaw

Hi DanielThanks for your review of your stay at River Valley. Hope the rest of your travels go well.Brian Megaw

Hi Sarah JaneThanks for your feedback. Hope to see you back at River Valley Stables over summer.Kind regardsBrian

My husband & I first visited River Valley in 2002, when we were mere pups (and the group photo we found just showed how young we were :/) When we visited NZ this year with our 2 teenagers we knew we had to return to show the kids the fun of rafting and that we oldies still 'got it'! The River Valley rafting team did not disappoint. Paulie and Spencer made us all feel relaxed and comfortable straight away by being cheeky chappies. Rees was quietly lovely and smiley. Brian ably managed! We were concerned that we might be cold, seeing as it was Winter, but we were (tightly) fitted out with all the gear that was needed to keep warm and toasty on the water. As it turned out this was never going to be enough for when we jumped in the river later on in the day! No one made us go in, so we only have ourselves to blame for getting a little chilly!?All in all, the family agreed that the rafting was awesome (not really a very British way of putting it, but the kids like it and it does seem appropriate on this occasion). We always felt safe, even the non swimmer in our ranks! The kids were taken great care of, which meant the parents could relax and have fun too. My only disappointment was that the experience didn't last long enough. We can't wait to return. Even if we are too old & creaky to do the rafting!

We had a great ride with the lovely Lizzie, in some spectacular New Zealand scenery. Lizzie trains her horses using natural horsemanship, which was really interesting to try and learn about. It took us a while to get used to, but it was very cool and inspirational. We had chosen River valley especially as they promised a more free ride for experienced riders, rather than the normal ride-in-a-line approach you find other places. This was great, but the new style of riding made us a bit like novices again, so we did take it slow until we got more used to it. (the horses weren't super keen on running in the summer heat either, which is completely understandable ;) ) As I said, absolutely stunning scenery, and great chatting to Lizzie about horses and ways to ride. We regretted not going for the full day option including lunch, as we easily could have spent more time out there :)

The location of the Lodge is awesome. One of the best sceneries I've stayed in in my life... The wooden house is truly cosy and the food delicious. However, if you go during winter and you stay in the 2 or 6 bed dorms you will have to go out in the cold to get to the toilet or have a shower, which sometimes can be quite annoying. The lodge is also very remote so be prepared, no shops or supermarkets around, which I find awesome, but for some it might be too rustic.About the activities, I did the rafting with them and it was awesome. Very nice river, kind and funny guides and good equipment, I can't complain. It might be a bit expensive, but you can't get much cheaper in New Zealand. If you like rafting, I would really recommend it!!

Hi CarolineThank you for your very nice review. Much appreciated.Great to hear that you had such a fun time on the river and also liked the Lodge.All the best on your travels.Brian

Hi thereThank for your review.I am sorry that your experience second time round was not as good as the first time.In answer to the points you raised.Over the summer we upgraded all the rooms you speak of, so this was identified and has been rectified.We generally get excellent feedback about our meals, so not sure what the story was there. As your visit occurred 6 months ago it is now too late to find out.New Years Eve. We will bare your comments in mind as we move towards New Years 2014/2015. New Years is generally quieter at River Valley than more traditional tourist hot spots.RegardsBrian

Thank you for your review. We do wok hard to match horses with riders, and it is always great for everyone when that comes off.The key with what we do at River Valley Stables is natural horsemanship style training. I am glad that you this a positive in your trekking experience.RegardsBrian

Kia oraThank you for the excellent review of River Valley and your experiences while you were with us.Hope to see you back some time.Kind regardsBrian

Hi AllanThank you very much for your kind review.Brian