Meet the Team

Originally from the Netherlands, Wendy immigrated to New Zealand with her family as a child and is now very much a 'kiwi'. With more than twenty years’ experience in senior management roles in leisure and corporate travel, Wendy is particularly passionate about inspiring positive culture in the workplace. She's a graduate of the University of Canterbury, a previous board member of the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand, and a current board member of the Tourism Export Council NZ. At Active Adventures, Wendy leads the talented team to excellence and is super focussed on guest experience, satisfaction and loyalty. An avid runner, Wendy has completed five full marathons and loves to hike, bike and paddle-board with her family in all the beautiful spots around Queenstown.

Kasey was born in Alaska and raised in Billings, Montana. She graduated in 2011 as a Presidential Leadership Scholar at the University of Montana in Missoula with a degree in Education. Growing up in the world of adventure travel, it was only natural for Kasey to jump into the family business. Kasey works full time at Austin Adventures as the President. This allows her to work closely with AA’s U.S. and European guides as well as tour operators worldwide.

Beāte is from Latvia, a small country in the Northern Europe, which is known for its beautiful forests, rich culture, and flat landscape. During her master’s studies in International Economic Relations, she managed to go on a couple of international exchange studies and later lived and worked in 4 countries. The decision to come to New Zealand came naturally after living in Canada and discovering the love towards adventuring in the mountains. While her intention was to live in New Zealand only for a year, endless outdoor opportunities and meeting her kiwi partner was the reason why she decided to call New Zealand home. When she’s not working you can find her in the mountains rock climbing, trail running, photographing, skiing, mountaineering or ice climbing. 

Kristie is from the Hawkes Bay, a beautiful spot on the East Coast of the North Island well known for the sunny weather, great beaches and world-class wines – Her three favourite things! She’s spent the last 8 years living abroad in Melbourne, the Whitsundays and most recently Edinburgh while working in the Travel industry. She’s now back in New Zealand after extensive travel throughout Europe, the US and Asia and is a Travel Specialist here at Active Adventures. When she isn’t planning your trips she is planning her own, ticking off her own travel wishlist as often as possible!

An example of the life-changing power of adventure, Brenon left the deep south to work a summer in Yellowstone National Park in 1993. It has been a great summer. An avid rock-climber, backcountry skier and mountaineer, he has embraced the pointy rocks of the Greater Yellowstone as home for over 25 years. Along the way, Brenon has guided tours in Yellowstone, taught young people perseverance in the mountains, and even rescued a few lucky adventurers. After working in mine reclamation and microbiology, being with Austin Adventures is the perfect way to connect the dots between his passion for exploration and a fulfilling career.

Stephanie was born and raised in the smallest state in the United States – Rhode Island. With an official nickname of the Ocean State and 400 miles of coastline, it’s no wonder she spent all her summers growing up down by the water. She attended Rhode Island College graduating with a degree in Marketing and Economics. While she’s resided in the same state her entire life, she has spent a lot of time traveling around the U.S. and quite a few road-trips down the east coast. She maintains an active lifestyle, keep up with her Australian Cattle Dog, Dewey. On the weekend, you’ll find her scoping out new eateries in the city and chasing live music and a cold beer in the summer. 

After moving to a new neighborhood at age five, Adam took off on his bike in search of new friends in Minnesota. More than thirty years later Adam still enjoys making friends on his bike while cycling around Europe. Adam has lived the life of a nomad, having taught English in China, managed a beach resort in Mexico, and now lives in the Netherlands with his wife since 2011, where they raise their daughter in the continued family tradition getting to know the world on the seat of a bicycle. Adam enjoys playing on local sports teams, adventure travel with the family, and continually learning new things from whichever culture he might be living or traveling in.

Ryan was born and raised in Newtown, Connecticut where he learned to love running, hiking, camping, and sailing. In 2007 he moved to Billings, Montana. Shortly after moving Ryan got into rock climbing and fell in love with the mountains and trails of the Rockies. After attending the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Ryan pursued a degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership. He has worked as a rock climbing instructor/guide, zipline guide, college professor, and even a professional sewer. You can now find Ryan working alongside his wife Kasey running the operations of Austin Adventures.

Rhet grew up in Cave Creek, Arizona within the family business of training thoroughbred racehorses. However, Rhet greatly preferred taking long hikes in the desert looking for javelina or quail than cleaning horse stalls. He became the first member of his family to graduate from college with a degree in Wildlife Sciences. Rhet spent time working on research projects with black bears, California sea lions, black-footed ferrets, and platypus before taking his first guiding job in Grand Teton National Park. That one seasonal guide job changed his career trajectory as he found a deep passion for adventure travel and sharing the natural world with people from across the globe. In the 14 years since getting into the industry, Rhet has worked in Wyoming, Oklahoma, Florida, Arizona, Utah, Louisiana, Alaska, and Hawaii.