About 100 keen horseriders will be nursing sore backsides tomorrow after spending a week hoofing around Northland on the Great New Zealand Trail Ride. "Absolutely awesome," was the chorus from Langs Beach women Shirl Reynolds and Shelley Hamilton. They said there were few hitches, although a horse had to be hauledout of swamp with ropes and a day of deluges had made the going a tad slippery. Travelling up to 45km a day, the trek looped from Kawakawa to Pouerua, Waimate North, Onewhero Bay, Oromahoe and back to Kawakawa. The Northland ride was the ninth trek since 1996. The event moves around the North Island raising funds for charities. This week the trek raised more than $8000 for the Northland Emergency Services Trust rescue helicopter.
