The Stray bus stops at a few off-the-beaten-path attractions, and Blue Duck Station in the North Island is one of those places.

It’s a gem in the middle of the wilderness: a lodge amongst dense forrest, deep rivers, and wildlife. A welcome break from the “real world” to kick back, chill, and appreciate the beauty in front of you.

I originally hoped to kayak the Whanganui River, but the weather isn’t cooperating. A few girls from my bus want to go horseback riding and I happily join them instead.

We don very attractive rain apparel (ha!) to keep us dry on our horse trek.

This is our horse trekking guide extraordinaire, Chad Heberley. I am immediately struck by his resemblance to Ryan Gosling.

Go ahead, take a closer look:

He’s charming AND good with animals. The line starts behind me, ladies.

We meet our horses and gather gear.

And we’re off!

Several of the farm dogs follow along. Chad has special calls and whistles for each of them; they respond like Captain von Trapp’s children in The Sound of Music.

The farm dogs round up cattle on the hillside.

We tie up the horses and go for a little walk.

Lucky us… we spy an elusive blue duck, after which the area is named. They aren’t very common to see.

Chad points out the ferns along the river; in the photo below you can see one beginning to unfurl. It’s known as Koru in the Maori language and it symbolizes new life, growth, strength, and peace.

We make our way to the top of a large waterfall on the property.

Time for a photo opportunity…

After taking the above shot, Chad turns the camera on himself. I didn’t find this until much later!

And then we’re treated to a complete surprise…

…but you’ll have to tune in tomorrow to find out what happens next.

Hint: it involves water. Guess away.

I’ll leave you with a video of our horseback trek:

Many thanks to Blue Duck Station for hosting my horseback riding trek. Opinions, as always, are my own.