The guides and planners at Aroha are chosen for more than knowledge. Of course, they know the roads, the regions, the lodges and the small local places that make a journey feel different. But what matters just as much is their ability to read people. Some guests want long conversations. Others need quiet. Some families move quickly in the morning and soften by afternoon. A good guide notices those things early and adjusts without making a performance of it. That is the feeling we look for in our team: capable, warm, discreet, and genuinely interested in the people travelling with us.
Veronika is the woman behind Aroha Luxury Tours, and much of the company’s direction is shaped by the way she sees travel. European-born and now very much at home in New Zealand, she understands both sides of the journey. Her perspective of a visitor who arrives curious and expectant to those who want a time with a local who knows what pace is suited, when to slow down, where to explore, and what details matter. Guests often speak about her careful planning, responsiveness and ability to shape a journey around real people rather than a fixed itinerary. She lives with her family on a working dairy farm in the central North Island, and when she is not planning journeys, she is usually drawn to food, fishing, and the quieter edges of the coast.
Contact me veronika@arohatours.co.nz
Eden brings calm structure to the moving parts behind an Aroha journey. With a Bachelor’s degree in International Tourism Management and a practical understanding of how travel actually unfolds, Eden helps keep plans clear, considered and well held. Her work sits quietly in the background, though guests feel the benefit of it every day. Flights connect. Timing makes sense. Details are checked before they become questions. Eden approaches logistics with calmness and clarity; this really matters in a country where weather, distance, and energy can all change the shape of a day. She is part of the reason an Aroha journey feels organised without feeling rigid.
Contact me eden@arohatours.co.nz
Zuzana is driven by curiosity and the a deep insight into how different cultures shape the world around her. After leaving her home in Slovakia and travelling widely, she eventually settled in New Zealand, where the wide open spaces, distinct seasons and enormous mountains of Central Otago made her feel at home. Her background spans education, snow sports, events and luxury travel planning, which gives her a lovely mix of practicality and warmth. She understands how to read people, how to adjust a day, and how to hold a group without fuss. Based in Wanaka, she brings guests close to the rhythm of the South Island, from alpine landscapes to small creative communities. Yoga, art, nature and travel all sit naturally in the way she guides.
Contact me zuzana@arohatours.co.nz
Sarah first came to New Zealand from the UK for what was meant to be a holiday. Like many people who arrive here with an open mind, she found the country left its mark so powerfully that a three-week trip became her life here. She has a degree in Business and Tourism, and experience across administration and project management. Sarah brings a thoughtful, steady hand to Aroha’s planning team. She understands the importance of structure, but also the human side of travel that can include tired children, shifting weather or just a need for a pause. Now living in Wanaka with her partner and two young children, she knows the South Island not as a brochure image, but as home.
Contact me sarah@arohatours.co.nz
Mariana grew up on a desert farm in Namibia, where water and landscape are never taken for granted. That early life gives her a particular appreciation for New Zealand’s green hills, rain, coastlines and pure natural spaces. For more than 15 years, she has supported Aroha with logistics, guiding and the quiet work that makes a journey feel effortless for guests. Mariana has a practical mind and a generous nature, which is a valuable combination in travel. She notices what needs doing before it is asked. During the New Zealand winter, she and her partner often travel through Europe, adding more lived experience to the care she brings home.
Steve has a rare kind of presence as a guide. Before settling in Wanaka, he spent many years as a musician with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and perhaps that is why he has such a good sense of rhythm in a day. He knows when to talk, when to let the landscape do the work, and when a small detour might be worth it. Guests regularly describe Steve as knowledgeable, thoughtful and deeply professional. Several also mention the small things: restaurant suggestions, safe driving, remembering names, keeping a group relaxed. He travels widely across New Zealand for Aroha, but the South Island mountains remain close to his heart.
Jurgen was born in Trier, Germany’s oldest city, and history has followed him ever since. His early years around his grandparents’ B&B on the Mosel River gave him a natural ease with international guests, long before guiding became his profession. He first guided in Jerusalem while volunteering with the German Peace Corps, then worked in tourism and destination management before New Zealand captured his attention in 1989. Guests often comment on his extensive knowledge, but just as often they mention his humour, kindness and steady company. Jurgen is at his best when sharing the stories behind a place, especially the parts that sit slightly beyond the obvious route.
Grant grew up with Nelson and Golden Bay as his early playground, which is not a bad way to begin a life outdoors. Since then, he has spent years between New Zealand and the wider world, sailing, working in unusual places, and collecting the sort of stories that cannot be learned from a guidebook. He also works in the film industry, where timing, awareness and calm driving matter. Guests have described him as knowledgeable, fun and generous with suggestions along the way. Grant brings a photographer’s eye to travel, noticing light, texture, back roads and small details. His interests are broad, from cycling and kitesurfing to motorcycles, and that curiosity makes him easy company on the road.
Benny first came to Aotearoa in 2011, and the shift from city life in Malaysia to New Zealand’s open spaces completely changed the direction of his life. He has since worked in remote lodges and guiding roles, gaining an instinct for hospitality that feels authentic. Based in Queenstown, Benny brings warmth, enthusiasm and a strong local knowledge of the lower South Island. Guests have noted his friendly nature, his care during changing weather plans, and the way he shares local culture and places with genuine interest. His photography, especially wildlife, forest and landscape work, adds another layer to the way he helps guests notice New Zealand.
Meghan came to guiding after a career in corporate accounting, which says something about her courage to follow what genuinely held her attention. Her love of New Zealand eventually became more than a private passion. It became a way of helping others see the country with more patience and care. As an award-nominated landscape photographer, Meghan understands timing, light and the quiet wait that often makes a place memorable. She is especially good with guests who want to come home with photographs that feel personal rather than posed. Her guiding has a strong sense of enthusiasm, but it is grounded too. She wants visitors to feel the real Aotearoa, not just pass through its scenery.
Luca has guided in many parts of the world, but New Zealand is the place that ultimately became his home. His background in international guiding, adventure travel and film scouting gives him a strong instinct for landscapes with drama, movement and story. Fluent in six languages, Luca is comfortable with guests from many cultures and knows how to adjust his guiding style. He brings energy, confidence and a deep love of the outdoors, especially when the day calls for something a little more adventurous. His experience with organisations such as National Geographic Television, Le Guide du Routard and Rough Guides adds credibility, but his real strength is enthusiasm that is deeply grounded in passion for people and travel.
Kristin has lived her whole life in the South Island, and that kind of familiarity gives her guiding a grounded quality. She is not simply describing a place. She is sharing the island she knows through family, farming, art, gardens, weather and everyday life. Married to a Canterbury farmer and raised with strong connections to the art world, Kristin brings together rural warmth and cultural curiosity. Guests to New Zealand feel genuinely cared for, and she has an easy enthusiasm for the people, landscapes and small local stories that shape a journey. Her style suits travellers who appreciate sincerity, good humour and a guide who notices how everyone is feeling.
Graham Painter is one of Aroha’s trusted wine partners, bringing guests closer to the small producers who give New Zealand wine its character. Through New Zealand Wine Navigator, he has helped introduce American wine lovers to premium, family estate wines from lesser-known vineyards and growers. His approach is not about labels for the sake of labels, but rather the provenance, small production and wines that carry the imprint of a particular valley, slope or season. Working alongside respected wine expertise, including Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas, Graham helps connect guests with bottles and stories they may not find on the usual route.
Inder Sappal leads Platinum Chauffeur Drive, one of Aroha’s premium transport partners. His work matters because the first and last impression of a journey is often shaped by how smoothly people are met, moved and looked after. With a fleet that includes executive sedans, luxury vans, SUVs and sprinters, Platinum Chauffeur Drive supports private aviation clients, corporate travellers, weddings, events and bespoke itineraries across New Zealand. Inder’s standard is polished, discreet and reliable. For Aroha guests, that means comfort without fuss, careful timing, and the reassurance that every transfer has been thought through properly before the vehicle arrives.
