Horse trek a trailblazer
CanTeen Taranaki’s horse trek 2017, needed no blazing saddles to be a trailblazing event.
It was like no other because of the down-to-earth hospitality and picturesque landscape - rural Taranaki style.
Almost 50 horse lovers from across the North Island converged on Tarata, near Inglewood, for the outback adventure that raised more than $10,000 for young people with cancer.
Base camp was MataRata Downs, the 1200-acre family farm of Jarred and Sarah Coogan, and her parents Bryan and Helen Hocken. The makeshift camp was scattered with horse floats and tents, while the station’s rustic woolshed doubled as the hub for the weekend’s activities.
It was a very special event Sarah said.
‘‘We knew our facility could handle a large group of people.
‘‘Just getting people out into the countryside around Taranaki, it was a good opportunity to share what we have,’’ said Jarred, who also acted as trek guide.
The out-of-towners spent hours on horseback riding across the rolling hills and through the waterways of the remote rural retreat. The weekend’s agenda included a barbecue to meet and greet, an auction of donated items, and live music courtesy of Jarred and his band, Toru Far.
The fundraiser was the vision of Canteen youth support coordinator Alex Nash, who was grateful the family shared their private piece of paradise for the good cause.
People who signed up were experienced riders after the thrill of exploring new territory on horseback. However, the weekend also morphed into an intimate social event.
‘‘We didn’t want it to be so big that it doesn’t have a good culture, by having it over a few days the bonding was just massive,’’ Nash said.
Volunteer event co-organiser Gemma Fawkner made sure the trek’s finer details were under control. She enlisted the help of her dad, Craig Williamson, who also went above and beyond during the weekend.
‘‘We couldn’t do things like this without people like Gemma and Craig, along with all the other volunteers,’’ Nash said.
CanTeen Taranaki supports young people aged from 13-24 years-of-age to cope with the physical, emotional and practical impact of living with cancer.