Meet our 2020 Kiwi Guide Team

Matt has been leading MoaTrek tours since 2008 and is the Senior Pro of the MoaTrek guide team. Originally from the West Coast of the South Island, in a past life Matt was a school teacher but has been a professional guide here in New Zealand for 20 years.

Guests who travel with Matt always tell us they love his humour and wit, but most of all what they learn about New Zealand, our history, culture and environment. Matt has a passion for NZ history and many of our other guides turn to Matt for guidance on this. 

Hear what recent guests of Matt's said

Matt was outstanding, a real joy to be with for the three weeks. He is incredibly knowledgeable about NZ and obviously loves to share it with the group. He has a great sense of humour and often kept us laughing. He welcomed questions and we obliged. After touring with Matt I can't imaging seeing New Zealand without such a wonderful guide. He kept us on schedule and often made a few extra stops which were always worth the time. He complemented the incredible scenery and cultural history of NZ and essentially "made" the trip well worth flying half way around the world!

David Watterworth, UK, who travelled with Matt on our 21 Day Kakapo tour in Oct/Nov 2019

New to the MoaTrek team this season but with years of experience both in New Zealand and internationally. Dianne is from the Coromandel area of the North Island and loves the beaches and holiday spots of the North Island but is just as comfortable in the Southern Alps now (the things our Kiwi Guides must adapt to!). Dianne's approach to guiding is that guests on her tours are instant family and friends and it shows.

Hear from recent guests of Dianne's

Dianne was quite wonderful and a real asset to your company. Her bright smile greeting us each morning, going really beyond her job to make sure all were having fun. She not only was a great driver and very knowledgeable about New Zealand, she also went out of her way to accommodate everyone. She kept us on task with humor, and kindness and was a true representative of "New Zealand's people, full of warmth and beauty." 

Jane Shackleford, USA, Jane and her family were on our Kiwi 12 day tour with Dianne over Christmas & New Year 2019/20

Nigel's home is in Tauranga in the North Island and when he's not guiding you'll find him out on the harbour in his boat. He has many years experience guiding in both New Zealand and Australia and his early career included time in the military, so when he says you're leaving at a certain time we notice everyone tends to show up. Nigel's forte is adding personal touches like his famous Kiwi Barbeque on the beach at Punakaiki on the last night of our trip.

Hear what recent guests of Nigel say

Nigel is not only knowledgable but so obviously proud of his country: he’s really funny and works incredibly hard to make sure that everybody has a good time. His local knowledge meant that we saw and discovered things you would never get to see or experience if you were doing your own fly drive. Also he has an admirable level of patience, because of course no two people behave in the same way!

Andrea Boardman, UK, who travelled with Nigel on our 21 Day Kakapo tour in December 2019

Tim has more than 25 years experience both guiding and running tours here in New Zealand, with experience in walking, cycling and adventure tours. After running his own business and working as a tour operations manager he is now back in his "happy place", which is at the head of the pack out on the road guiding tours. Originally from the South Island, Tim now lives in the Bay of Plenty where his extended family are. 

What recent guests of Tim said

Tim de Jong is an outstanding person. He invited us into New Zealand rather than telling us about it. He has a passion for the ecology, the people, the history and the food. Our trek was definitely enhanced by having Tim as our guide. We became friends over the weeks and we respected his vast knowledge of NZ and its history. Wonderful person.

Bill Farrell, USA, who travelled with Tim on our Kiwi 12 Day Tour in November 2019

Andre's field of expertise is botany and ecology, and after studying this at university he worked as a park ranger and gardener before becoming a full time guide. Ten years on he is loving life out on the road showing the best corners of New Zealand to visitors. You can tell Andre's a true Kiwi because whenever you see a photo of him he's wearing shorts, regardless of the weather!

Hear what guests of Andre have to say

Andre the Guide was phenomenal. I am not sure that I can write down enough superlatives to describe my impression of how much he did for our group. Most excellent young gentleman who cares for his group. He was extremely knowledgable of all the areas that we visited, had an excellent wit and sense of humour and went out of his way to make sure that every detail that he could control to make the trip run smoothly...he did.

Lynn Cindric, Canada. Lynn travlled with Andre on our 21 day Kakapo tour in March 2019.

Everyone would agree (and we're sure he wouldn't mind us saying) that Paul is the "joker" of the pack. With a background in theater being on tour with Paul is like a stage show, complete with show stopping moments, raucous laughter and applause. Before joining MoaTrek, where he has been a mainstay of the guiding team now for nearly 10 years, Paul drove large tour coaches all over New Zealand. He now loves the freedom and flexibility of our smaller groups and coaches, as well as the amazing off the beaten track spots he can we visit.

Read what recent guests on Paul's trips say

Without question it is our exceptional guide Paul that took this tour beyond the ordinary. The attention to detail, the speedy porterage of our bags & the daily information was great. However Paul's great humour interspersed with his superior knowledge of everything from the forestry industry & geothermal energy to Maori culture & the best stops along the way made the days fun as well as interesting.

Susan Mills, Australia, who travelled on our 12 day Kiwi tour in October 2019 with Paul

Originally from the UK, New Zealand is now Andrew's home. When he's not out on tour you'll find him with his sleeves rolled up working on his properties in Christchurch, where he lives now, or perhaps unwinding at the Yoga studio! Andrew was been a professional tour guide since 2015 and loves being out on the road sharing is favourite spots and stories with visitors.

Read what recent guests of Andrew's said

Andrew’s love of New Zealand, and knowledge about every aspect of what we were observing and experiencing made this trip richly rewarding. He knew when to provide information and observations and when to let the group “rest”. He was attentive, warm and a joy to be with.

Christina Manning & Michael Flynn, USA, who travelled with Andrew on our Kakapo 21 Day Tour over Christmas and New Year 2019/20

Brent is a proud Aucklander who was destined to work on the tourism front line showing visitors to New Zealand our beautiful country. Brent started his guiding life in 2003 and is still going strong, he has also worked in the safety audit side of tourism too so knows how important all the back end systems are to keep everything running smoothly on tour. In his own words "I have what some say, an unhealthy love affair with New Zealand, an obsession for great service and a penchant for cheese scones!" You can't argue with that!

What Brent's tour guests have to say

Brent is AWESOME! He is an excellent driver, I always felt safe. He is very knowledgeable of NZ and of the different areas we visited. Loved his stories! And he was very kind and attentive when I become ill when we crossed to the South Island. I've never been sick on a trip, so I really appreciate the help getting the care I needed. Thanks, Brent and thanks MoaTrek.

Janet Donahue, USA. Janet travelled with Brent on our Kakapo 21 day tour back in 2018.

Chris was raised on a hill country farm in the Gisborne region and moved to Auckland after studying horticulture and landscaping in both New Zealand and Australia. Chris has worked in gardens and parks all around the world, so if botany's your thing then Chris is the man. After travelling and exploring much of New Zealand on foot, cycle, sky or raft, he's now sharing his favourite spots with visitors to our country as a Kiwi Guide with MoaTrek.

Hear what Chris' guests have to say

We found Chris Williams brilliant. There was a sparky attitude that made us feel at ease, seemed to keep the whole group together but coped with different abilities. Our little detours to see sights off the main route made it all feel as if we were "in control" rather than following a rigid plan.

Janet & Julian Golunski, USA, who travelled with Chris on our 21 Day Kakapo tour in March 2019

Before beginning his guiding life with MoaTrek Graeme worked as a geologist all over the world, so if geology is your thing then you'll love being out on the road with Graeme. He even wrote his thesis on the volcanoes of Tongariro National Park! When he's not out on the road you'll find him working on his property North of Auckland. 

Hear what Graeme's guests say

Graeme made our trip memorable. Any problems eg weather were addressed and slight variations made to ensure our holiday ran smoothly. We knew we were in safe hands even when the weather turned for the worst.

The guides are a big part of our tours and what guests always come back to us and tell us they loved most about the tours. Our guides love two things most of all, New Zealand and meeting visitors to our country, their work with MoaTrek combines these two passions perfectly.