As a horse person with a lifelong desire to visit New Zealand, I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to participate in an eight-day horseback trek through that spectacular country with the world-renowned Franklin Levinson, the Horse Whisperer, and Hurunui Horse Treks.

At the age of 68, I joined him “down under” for the adventure of a lifetime.

New Zealand, called “the land of the long white cloud” by the indigenous Māori people, has the most diverse scenery and natural features of any place of equal size on Earth. I like to think God took all his leftovers from creating the world and tossed them together to make New Zealand. There are snow-capped peaks, glaciers, glacial rivers and lakes, lush plains, pine trees and palm trees, geothermal features resembling Yellowstone National Park, white sand beaches with dolphins playing in the waves, deer and elk, penguins and whales, wallabies and, of course, kiwis—both the fruit and the bird.

The plan was to traverse the country’s South Island, going from ranch to ranch (called stations). Six of us met up in Christchurch, arriving from all over the world. We all shared two commonalities: a love of horses and a sense of adventure.

The following day we were introduced to our closest partners—our horses, chosen for us according to our applications. I was delighted to find that Breeze, a beautiful white mare, had been assigned to me. She reminded me of the last horse I had owned, and the Western saddle fit me even better than my own.

It was amazing how well matched horses and riders were, attesting to the skill and knowledge of the owners of the outfit. I was also quite impressed with the cleanliness of the place, and with the great care they took of their tack and their 40 horses. The gear was oiled and polished, and the horses were sleek, fat and well-shod.

We had two days of groundwork with our horses under Levinson’s skilled tutelage. The overall goal was to bond so we were able to control them in all situations.

On the second day, we rode out behind Tomas, our guide and horse handler, and followed a small, shallow river for a long ways, splashing over the gray river rock and under the overhanging willow trees. The group stopped for lunch, then returned to our farmstay for another night.

Finally the trek itself began. For the next eight days, we traveled from ranch to ranch or rode out in a big loop and returned to the same station, spending 5-10 hours in the saddle. Some of the stations are huge, encompassing flat meadows, river valleys and rugged mountains, but the trails were not treacherous, making for an enjoyable ride. We slept in cozy bunkhouses recently vacated by itinerant seasonal sheep shearers.

Sheep are everywhere in New Zealand, which is famous for its woolens. In fact, there are more sheep than people. New Zealanders raise at least 16 different breeds—some for their wool and some for the quality of their meat.

There’s a saying: “The best view on Earth is from on top of a horse.” We were fortunate to experience the enchantment of New Zealand in just that way. On our trusty steeds, we forded rivers, climbed mountains, galloped across meadows and picked our way through a magical beech forest dripping with moss and ferns. A new adventure awaited us around every bend.

The final day of our ride brought us back to the Canterbury Plain and Hurunui headquarters. We were greeted by welcoming whinnies from all the horses who had been left behind. After feeding and washing down the horses, doctoring nicks and cuts and unpacking our gear, we said our thank yous and goodbyes to our tired horses and turned them out to pasture, watching as they rolled in the dirt before trotting off to socialize with their buddies.

By the end of our time on the trail together, we were all buddies, too. We departed with friends from all over the world, and treasured memories that will last a lifetime.

To book your New Zealand trail ride with Hurunui Horse Treks, visit www.realadventures.com.