Activities

Horse riding opportunities

Regional parks network horse riding pass 2011

The Auckland Council as a result of consultation with the region’s horse riding community and submissions to the Regional Parks Management Plan is introducing a new network horse riding pass for horse riders that wish to ride on Auckland’s regional parks.

Currently riding is available on eight regional parks: Atiu Creek, Awhitu, Duder, Hunua Ranges, Muriwai, Pae o Te Rangi (Waitakere Ranges), Te Rau Puriri, and Whakanewha regional parks. To be able to ride on these parks, all riders will need to obtain a network horse riding pass.  Riding at Ambury Regional Park may be arranged seperately through the Mangere Pony Club (www.mangereponyclub.co.nz) who holds a licence with Council and therefore is not subject to this pass. 

Horse riding trails for the following parks are shown in brown in the maps below (with the exception of Te Rau Puriri, where the horse trail is the same as the poled walking trail).

The pass is free; however, there will be a $10 charge for a key to access the internal farm gates at Atiu Creek.

The purpose of the pass is to ensure good communication between council staff and horse riders.  This will enable registered riders to be provided with updates on changes to park combination codes which will be needed to access the parks, any temporary track or park closures, and to promote any new riding opportunities.  It will also enable the council to know rider details in case of an emergency and to monitor demand for horse riding across the region.

A horse riding code of conduct has been developed in conjunction with the horse riding sector to provide guidelines to minimise the impact of horses on park environments and other park visitors.

In addition riders need to take particular care when riding in kauri areas due to the potential spread of kauri dieback.  Please ensure your horse hooves are clean before entering bush areas, stick to tracks and avoid riding in wet or muddy conditions.  Refer to information on kauri dieback to see how you can help stop the spread of the disease.

The following documents provide:

• further information on the pass, which includes the conditions that apply to riding on the regional parks, rules specific to the individual parks and a horse riding code of conduct.
• the horse riding pass application form
• a table providing further detail on the horse riding opportunities on each park.