Walk, Run, Dune: The Mister Way: Muster, Hawkes Bay

Trail running or walking in rural Hawke’s Bay has never tasted so good. A new initiative brings locals, friends, and family together to enjoy scenic landscapes, get some exercise, and then relax with a tasty meal and conversation. This is Muster, a trail run or walk that ends not at a finish line, but at a table.

“It’s essentially a secret supper club with a trail run or walk attached,” co-founder Jennifer Mackie explained. “You head out into these back block places on people’s farms, and then it finishes with a chef-made meal.”

Like most good ideas, it started as a conversation. Jennifer, a physiotherapist, and her friend Kate de Lautour, a chef, were driving to a trail running event when they began imagining what their ideal experience would look like. Both were already involved in running events, both loved the outdoors, and both understood the appeal and limitations of what already existed. “We were just fantasising about what we would want to do if we could create the most amazing trail running event,” Jennifer said. “And then we just… did it.”

What they landed on wasn’t a race, or a traditional guided walk, or a dining event. It was something that sat between all three, an experience designed for people who want a lot out of a limited amount of time.

“It’s really for busy people who want to have it all,” Jennifer said. “People who want to get their exercise in, socialise, and do something a bit different.”

That “something different” starts with the setting. Muster events take place on private farmland across the Bay. Long tracks winding through hills, open spaces that feel both expansive and personal, landscapes usually reserved for those who work the land. “One of the things we love about this is that people see these amazing farm tracks when they’re driving around, but they can’t go onto them,” Jennifer said. “So it’s about bringing that to people.”

Participants can expect anywhere between eight and 15 kilometres of trail, though the distance is only part of the story. There’s no race clock, no pressure to perform, no expectation beyond simply getting through it in your own way. “We bill it as an experience, not a race,” she said. “We’ve got about a 50/50 split between walkers and runners.”

That flexibility is thoughtfully built in. Muster isn’t just for elite athletes - it’s for everyone willing to get out and about. “At the last one, we basically had an ‘Uber ute’ that would come around and pick people up if they were done,” Jennifer laughed. It’s this relaxed approach that sets the tone for the rest of the experience.

After the trail, participants return, often tired, muddy, and buzzing from the shared eff ort, to something they haven’t yet seen. The dining space is hidden until everyone is back. There’s a moment to gather, to have a drink, to reconnect with the people you may have started alongside or met along the way. And then, the reveal. “The idea is that the whole venue is hidden until they come back,” Jennifer said. “Then the doors open, and everyone goes in together.”

Inside, long shared tables replace finish lines. The two-course meal is kept secret during the race, deliberately maintaining the element of surprise and delighting runners. Dietary requirements are catered for, but the specifi cs remain under wraps until the plates arrive.

“They don’t really know exactly what they’re doing,” Jennifer said. “They want to do something that’s a bit out there, that’s a bit different. That’s why it’s a secret supper club. They don’t know what the menu is.” The surprise is also carried through the exercise aspect – a chance for people to do something unexpected. “It’s an experience, not a race, so there’s none of that pressure. You know roughly what you’re doing, but you don’t have any specifi cs. We give you the distance and the elevation, but that’s it really. It’s all a surprise.”

The result feels less like an exercise and more like a shared experience, with a bit of fun and good food, from the fi rst step on the trail to the final course at the table. It’s also where much of the connection happens. “You can come by yourself and leave with 40 friends,” Jennifer said. “Because you’ve all done the same thing, it breaks down barriers. You instantly have something to talk about.”

At their first event in February, that dynamic played out naturally. “Forty people enjoyed a glorious but slightly windy 10km walk or run. A few hills in there to challenge them. Then a delicious sit-down meal in a hidden courtyard,” Jennifer said. Some people arrived in groups, others alone, and some somewhere in between. By the end of the evening, those distinctions had largely disappeared. “Everyone just ended up connecting,” she said.

The feedback reflected that. Alongside praise for the food, including one guest declaring it the best dessert they’d ever had, the most consistent response was about how it felt. “People said it was just so nice to do something where you feel great, and then sit down with everyone and have dinner,” Jennifer said. “That shared experience was a big part of it. A lot of people left asking when the next one is.”

In some ways, it draws inspiration from multi-day walking experiences, the kind that combine physical challenge with curated hospitality. Kate’s work catering for private multi-day walks helped shape that vision. But Muster offers a more accessible version. “When you’ve got kids or a busy life, you can’t just disappear for three days,” Jennifer said. “This is like a bite-sized version. You still get all those elements, but in a manageable timeframe.”

That balance, between eff ort and reward, structure and spontaneity, is what gives Muster its appeal. The next events saw even more attendees, in early April and mid-May, with 60 participants getting amongst at the Mangarara Eco Lodge.

Despite the popularity and success of Muster so far, Jennifer said they will probably keep events to about five per year, with winter logistics making accessing farmland a bit more diffi cult. Even so, there’s a sense that Muster is only just getting started. Ideas are already forming for future events, including more unconventional concepts. “We’ve talked about putting a DJ in the back of a ute and having a long, fl at track where you can have a bit of a dance party while running,” Jennifer said.

Muster isn’t about distance, pace, or even the food, though those things matter. It’s about how different elements come together to create a mix of the new and the familiar. It gently supports mental health by combining movement with meaningful connection. Shared effort helps break social barriers, making it easier for people to connect, and provides a simple, manageable escape from daily life.

As evening approaches on the farm and conversations fl ow across the table, it’s clear that Muster marks the beginning of a new chapter - one filled with movement, good food, and where community comes together.