Meet the Faces of the Guides Behind Your Adventure
Get to know our amazing guides! Their passion, knowledge, and unique personalities will make your trip truly special. Our guides are more than just experts; they're locals with deep ties to the land, culture, and hidden wonders.
Winner · Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2026
Best Luxury Guided Tour Company in New Zealand
The award belongs to the guides on this page. They are local driver-guides based in Christchurch and Canterbury, and on every Canterbury Trails journey one guide stays with you from the first morning to the last.
Read about the awardMandy
Mandy (or Amanda if she’s in trouble) was born and raised on an arable and dairy farm in Southern England.
She met her kiwi veterinarian husband in Newmarket England where she was working as a horse nutritionist. A love of horses and horse racing took them to Hong Kong and then on to a short stint in Qatar before settling in New Zealand with their two boys.
With a background in the wine industry, Mandy loves nothing more than sharing her favorite boutique estates on our Waipara wine tours
She is passionate about
local artisan food, wine, and beer. Her happy place is trail running in the
spectacular playground of the South Island.
Hugo
Hugh lives in Akaroa and has been in the Canterbury area all his life.
He spent 40 years in the photographic industry. Some as a photographer and also in the importing and distribution of photographic and optical equipment. This career took him all over the South Island of New Zealand.
His interests cover many outdoor pursuits. Such as Trout and ocean fishing. Recreational hunting. Spear fishing and Golf at the beautiful Akaroa golf course.
He really enjoys getting off the beaten track and sharing our beautiful country
with like-minded people.
Tia
Tia is from the small West Coast town of Hokitika, this is where her love of the
outdoors began. Her mother is a bilingual Maori teacher, her father is from Samoa and a wood turner which has made her very culturally aware.
She started working at Canterbury Trails in 2015, after managing and working in hospitality for almost 20years. She has a passion for health and wellbeing which led her to completing diplomas in Reflexology and in Nutrition.
Tia has travelled throughout Europe, South-East Asia, Australia and loves holidaying on one of the many Pacific Islands.
As a busy mum, she enjoys getting the kids, along with their dog, out and about, whether its to the beach or for a hike in the hills.
She loves meeting new people, traveling, gardening, cooking, but most of spending time with her family and friends.
Sue
Sue has had a passion for travel from a young age. At 21 she headed off to Hungary to reconnect with her father’s family and used the UK as a base for experiencing Europe’s many, and varied, cultures.
Her love for New Zealand brought her home to Christchurch, spending her spare time tramping, skiing, and sailing. Horse breeding, riding, and racing, plus music, are among her other passions.
Sue has worked in the hospitality industry which sparked her interest in our wine culture and led to her being a judge in our local Restaurant of the Year competition.
“What I love so much about this wonderful city is that I can be walking on the beach in the morning and skiing in the mountains in the afternoon”.
John
John was born in Timaru
and apart from the odd overseas interlude has lived in Christchurch all his
life.
His working life started at the New Zealand Government Tourist Bureau, which gave him a wonderful insight and appreciation for our beautiful country.
Since then, he has owned a number of businesses and can proudly say that amongst those he has been a Butcher, Baker and a Candlestick maker.
Being a long time resident of the beautiful seaside suburb of Sumner has highlighted his great passion for sport and outdoor activities from Rugby to walking, squash to
surfing, bowls, golf and almost any other activity that you would care to mention.
With this in mind he looks forward to guiding and sharing the stunning and inspiring sights of the South Island with others.
Dave
He has a great love of the outdoors and has spent much of his years exploring the South Island, participating in various outdoor activities and multi-sport races. You name it,
Dave has probably tried it, from Coast to Coast races, paragliding and
hangliding, to fly fishing, diving and skiing, tramping and surfing.
Being a keen traveler, he has spent time in Europe the UK and the USA, Australia, and
the Pacific, pursuing adventure. He has worked for many years in the travel
industry as Crew for Air New Zealand and in IT as a Reporting analyst for
Telecom. His hobbies also include painting and making beautiful jewelry.
“I love New Zealand and
especially the uniqueness of the South Island. My passion is experiencing it
while sharing it with others”.
Tim
Tim was born and raised in
Porirua, NZ where he developed his passion for basketball, comedy, music and
travel. That love of travel led him to a career as a travel agent, a tertiary tourism trainer and as a tour guide throughout Europe.
Since moving to Christchurch he enjoys spending time with his daughter, in-between showcasing his passion for
NZ with Canterbury Trails.
Mary
Mary grew up on a farm in Otago. She moved to Christchurch 28 years ago and has been involved in banking and insurance while her partner owned and operated a hot air balloon tourist business.
She is passionate about our beautiful country and all it has to offer in adventure activities and stunning scenery.
Mary was a keen, and competitive rider, and loves all things equestrian. Actually, she loves most sports, especially sailing, rugby and cricket.
“I have travelled quite extensively in later years and love to show off, and inform visitors about, the amazing country we live in”.
Stu J
Originally from Southland, Stuart completed his education
in Christchurch.
His early career was in Tourism and hospitality in New
Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom returning to New Zealand to pursue a
career in management within professional services.
Tramping and day walks are a
passion for him, as is road cycling.
Through guiding he wishes to share the unique New Zealand landscape and people with visitors to create memorable
and lasting experiences for them.
Manuela
Manuela was born and
raised in the Swiss mountains.
After spending 10 years in Australia she decided to make NZ her home and has lived in Christchurch for 16 years.
She is a mother of 3 high school and university age young men and runs her wellbeing & lifestyle business.
Manuela is a champion of outdoor exercise and passionately coaches her clients to move, be healthy and happy.
Manuela loves being out in nature - trail running, hiking, Mt biking and kitesurfing.
She is excited to share NZ’s natural beauty and is in her element engaging with the guests she meets through being a guide with Canterbury Trails
Kate
Kate grew up on a farm in the Canterbury foothills and spent her school and university years in Christchurch.
She is a two-time Olympian having represented NZ on the hockey field at both the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Her sporting career allowed her to travel the world extensively before ‘getting a
real job’ in marketing for over 25yrs.
Now with two grown-up girls studying and rowing at university in the US she is still heavily involved in hockey,
coaching club and regional teams and selecting the national team.
She loves mountain biking in the hills around Christchurch, hiking, DIY projects and hanging out at the bach in the Marlborough Sounds.
Jock
Jock was born in Christchurch then spent his younger years in the southern town of Kurow.
Jock has two adult boys, both living in Christchurch. Jock has always been very active in Athletics, representing NZ on several occasions. He now loves to bike and is still competing.
Most of his working life has been in Sales, from Sports to Juice and Apparel. This career gave him the opportunity to travel the country and holidays have taken Jock throughout the UK and Europe.
He loves the outdoors and all things sports.
