About Us

Ride the trails of our ancestors. Visit the ancient Pa site of a paramount Maori chief, high above the Pacific Ocean. Experience a breathtaking view that reaches far and wide to the horizon. Tread the paths of his people. And enjoy the company of us, his descendants, and the stories and food we will share with you.

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Our Family
Welcome! We are your hosts at Pakiri, Laly and Sharley Haddon. Along with our daughter Olivia and son Ben, we are descended from Te Kiri of Ngati Wai, an ancient Maori chief, and his daughter Rahui. His tribe, Ngati Wai, were seafarers. They discovered this place after following the call of the whales across the Pacific.

Our home
is on land that has been handed down through many generations; here we have gained a lifetime of experience with horses and farming. We would love to share the history and the legends of this special place with you.

Our Farm
Our family farm is known as Taurere; 2000 acres of East Coast hill country in lower Northland. A true working farm, Taurere carries 200 beef and breeding cattle, 800 Perendale sheep and 127 horses, 25 of which comprise the well-established Taurere Park Arabians horse stud.

Our Beach
It is our privilege to be caretakers to the unpopulated and private Pakiri Beach, 15 km white sand surf beach touching the majestic Pacific Ocean. We love sharing the splendid isolation and beauty of this place with our guests.

Our Rides
When you visit us at Pakiri Beach, you can experience the freedom of this special place on horseback. Our rides cover everything from a relaxed one hour outing to a full day or longer.
All our rides travel along the pristine sands of Pakiri Beach and continue through the dunes with breath taking views to the coastal islands. We ride through groves of ancient Pohutukawa trees, which are ablaze with red flowers in summer. And we follow a track through native bush and Nikau palms.
Our longer rides take you through pine forests and over lush green farmland.

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Corporate team building with a range of options.
We offer horse rides for large and small groups, team building and confidence building in conjunction with Lake View Chalets, Ngapeka Beach House or The Goat island Outlook Lodge and also with Te Kiri Marae Leigh which is a very scenic coastal ride with breathtaking views.All these venues can provide a beautiful farm style lunch in the lodge, a picnic lunch, accommodation and conference facilities depending on the number of riders. We are also just around the corner from the world famous Goat Island Marine Reserve and the popular music venue The Leigh Sawmill. We are also very close to the Matakana vineyards and wineries and can provide horse riding in a vineyard for special occasions POA. We are a member of Matakana Coast Tourism Group and we are a Qualmark accredited activity with safety, comfort, enjoyment and care of our environment as our priorities.

School holiday riding programs are held every school holidays through out the year.
he program runs for 3 days from 10am to 4pm each day. The children learn a bit of everything from brushing and tacking up their pony, riding lessons, games and activities, trail rides and trekking, but most importantly lots of safe fun! Riding lessons can be arranged. We also offer School treks any time of the year including school activity week.

Our very popular Riding Holiday Camps
each holidays where riders aged from 10yrs to 15 yrs can stay in our bunkroom and ride every day in a special fun and informative group. Meet and make new friends, learn heaps about horse care and riding and just have wonderful fun filled days with their ponies from 10am Monday to 4.30 pm Friday.

Horse Education
We can take on young horses that need to be ridden in on a daily base rate of $25 per day. These horses must be started ie. Mouthed and backed. Starting or (breaking in) is done by Marty Westlake. Marty is a very experienced horseman and we recommend his horse education services. Contact us for more information and prices on these services.

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