During February, Tranzit Tours ran two bus tours from Masterton to Pongaroa.The visitors were entertained and enthralled by a morning of activities at Wild Side Farm followed by lunch at the Pongaroa Hotel and a walk around the village centre. Feedback from the visitors has been very positive and further tours are scheduled for May.
During the visit to Wild Side Farm, Transit visitors were first given a short history of the Pongaroa district along with stories of the early settlers. Some of the audience were descendents of the early families such as Burling, Buckley and Fraser so there was a real connection to the past.
Following the history segment, Jane Taylor-Young gave a talk and demonstration on leadership and the psychology of the horse. This was well received and prompted many questions.
Jane Introduces her demonstration
The morning wrapped up with a tour of the organic vegetable gardens and discussions about diverse pasture species for healthy grazing.
Having worked up an appetite, the bus took the travellers down to the Pongaroa Hotel for lunch and a look around the village. An inpromptu trip in the courtesy bus to view the settlers gravestones was a high point for those descended from the early families.
