Over the years, we have been fortunate to work with a number of very special people. People who have led interesting lives, who hold interesting knowledge and who are interested in people. These are our guides. Each one of them has been personally selected and vetted. Almost all of them can now be counted as personal friends, with relationships based on mutual respect and integrity.
We have no hesitation in recommending these people as highly competent and wonderful companions in whose company to enjoy discovering New Zealand.
Some of these guides are regional specialists, some are generalists, and some are technical specialists.
Given our historical focus on the Russian market, we also have two specialist native Russian guides as well as a Russian-speaking CEO. However, these guides are also interesting in their own right for non-Russian speakers who make up the majority of our clients.
If you are interested in having any of these guides accompany you for a day, a week or the entire time of your stay in New Zealand, please let us know. As busy people, often with successful independent businesses, they are not always available - so early notification and booking is recommended.
Hone Mihaka - Maori Rangatira (Chief)
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Hone runs a superb Maori re-enactment tourism business in Northland. This is just becoming recognised by mainstream operators and we wish him well. However, for the last 5 years or so we have been working with Hone in putting together special Maori days for clients throughout Northland and now also further afield. We have ambushed clients in the bush, attacked them by waka (canoe), sat with them in Maori hot pools, eaten traditional food with them, taken them catching... > Read More
Andy MacKay - Helicopter Guide
Andy owns Heliflight, an Auckland helicopter company specialising in tourism and training. Over the last few years, Andy has undertaken substantial touring work with us and we have built some considerable combined expertise. Through this Andy has discovered a passion for tourism, an interest in our clients, and a penchant for guiding.
Although primarily a helicopter-based guide, Andy also undertakes some ground-based guiding either by 4WD or by... > Read More
Brigid Ormond
Brigid has developed and owns the top luxury guiding outfit in the Hawkes Bay region. In addition to using her services when our clients are in Hawkes Bay, we have found her so excellent that we have twisted her arm to take our clients beyond that lovely area. Originally from the South Island, then from the Wairarapa/Hawkes Bay, Brigid brings a dry, humorous and... > Read More
Ivan Ivanov
Ivan is one of our Russian guides. With significant expertise running an adventure tourism business near Lake Baikal in Russia and a passion for New Zealand he provides a style of guiding which is not often seen by Russians in New Zealand. A dual-country prespective combined with business expertise and highly professional service.
> Read MoreMike Yates
Mike Yates has lived on the West Coast of the South Island for many years. As usual with the people we find interesting he has had a colourful past - former professional hunter, professional fisherman, jetboater, whitebaiter, glacier guide - he has had a life made up of the experiences he now shares with our clients.
Mike and his wife Sue own and run Silver Pine Lodge,... > Read More
