First light treks

New Zealander Reg Kaa, 46, and wife Dutch-born Jacqui Kaa, 39, run Eastender Horse Treks in Rangitukia. Their most popular route is a two-hour circuit along the isolated Rangitukia beach for a trot or gallop, before a steep climb up a hill for amazing views of the surrounding landscape. The more adventurous can opt to drive an hour away to Mt Hikurangi to hike seven hours up to its peak. This sacred 1754m mountain is said to be the first point on mainland New Zealand to catch the rays of the new day’s sun. Jacqui says her decision to move to New Zealand was the right one. “It is a paradise where people are very friendly. It is a great and safe place to raise children. And for me, having the horses and other animals roaming around freely is just fantastic and so unlike home,” she says.