About us

OUR STORY

BLACK was conceived to provide meaningful luxury travel experiences for visitors to Queenstown and the lower South Island of New Zealand. The BLACK guest is a certain type of intelligent world explorer – sophisticated, travel-savvy, time conscious and keen to get acquainted with the best of what this amazing region has to offer.

Local adventurer, entrepreneur and businessman Andrew Brinsley decided it was about time Queenstown catered to this discerning traveller. Through his vast experience in the tourism industry, he saw the demand for expertly guided, personalised luxury journeys, each of which are carefully planned around individual interests yet still have the freedom to change direction.

The reputation of Andrew, his team of respected local guides and the boutique BLACK brand soon excelled. Now under the reigns of NZ tourism industry veterans Nigel Hobbs and Heidi Farren, BLACK continues to deliver world class luxury experiences focussing on luxury adventure touring and transport.

OUR ETHOS

We exist to create memories of a lifetime for our guests by crafting bespoke luxury travel experiences. There’s a lot to see and do in Queenstown and the South Island and we believe this phenomenal part of the world should be explored conscientiously to get the most out of each visit.

Whether it’s a one-day, overnight or multi-day excursion, we ensure our bespoke tours are based on the individual interests and requirements of our guests. Be it the assured travel of a seamless airport transfer, a sumptuous tour featuring food, wine, art and culture, the breathtaking landscapes of the alpine backcountry or any one of our bespoke BLACK experiences, each journey is uniquely personal, unwaveringly professional, utterly exceptional and entirely memorable.

Nigel

Director

Nigel is a born and bred southern man who has travelled all over the world for the last 20 years exploring and working in locations such as Russia, China, Indonesia, France, Singapore and Australia. He has a huge passion for all things tourism and is focussed on creating world class travel experiences.

Heidi

Group General Manager & Director

Heidi's a born and bred kiwi woman whose entire career has been in tourism. After successfully founding and growing a premium tourism business in Queenstown, in 2019 Heidi spearheaded the acquisition of BLACK and along with her business partner Nigel Hobbs has enjoyed growing the company's offerings and immersing herself in the luxury tourism sector.

Kim

Business Development & Sales Manager

Kim is our Business Development and Sales Manager, working with our wonderful agents and inbound partners throughout New Zealand and beyond. Originally from Warkworth, north of Auckland, Kim has enjoyed the Queenstown lifestyle for the past 10 years. A lover of travelling, languages and different cultures, she joined the tourism industry over 14 years ago and throughout her career has worked in Sales and Customer Service Management roles across major tourism operators around New Zealand.

Sammy

Reservations & Logistics Manager

Sammy is originally from Auckland, and after spending 5 years living overseas she decided to move back home and settle in beautiful Queenstown. She loves the outdoors and in her spare time you'll find her skiing or hiking on one of our local trails. She has spent most of her career working in luxury tourism, planning itineraries for high end clients around New Zealand. She has a passion for this region and understands the needs of our clients and how to create unique luxury experiences!

Maddy

Reservations & Logistics

Originally from Sydney in Australia, Maddy has a longstanding love of visiting New Zealand’s spectacular South Island to take in the exceptional food, wine, and scenery. She has spent most of her early career working across luxury hotels and corporate settings, fulfilling the needs of guests and top executives alike. In her spare time you will find Maddy seeking out the best hikes, local produce, and sunset views in the region. Her love for celebrating this region and its outstanding offerings is what led her to the team at BLACK.

Tatiana

Reservations & Logistics

Tatiana, originally from a small town in Canada, has spent many years travelling and working within the tourism industry across the world before she decided to settle in Queenstown. Being a lover of adventure, Tatiana has seen some incredible sights from Canada and the United States to Australia and Indonesia. In her spare time, you will find Tatiana snowboarding up the mountain or adventuring in the great outdoors. With a background in tourism, Tatiana loves to ensure that every client gets to enjoy a true and authentic experience wherever in the world they may be.

Gwen

Reservations & Logistics

Originally from Toronto, Gwen backpacked Europe and Australia before crossing the ditch to spend a summer in New Zealand. Over 5 years later, Gwen is still in love with the home she has made for herself in Queenstown. She spends her time outside of work hiking, biking and baking. Her travels have inspired a passion for helping others experience all that the area has to offer and that's what she loves about her role with BLACK.

Marriah

Reservations & Logistics

Marriah was born and raised in a small town of Washington State. She came to visit New Zealand back in 2017 where she fell in love, packed her bags and has now called Queenstown home for over 5 years. She loves hiking and camping and in her free time you might see her out locally on Tobins Track, out in Paradise or up at Moke lake. Being in the hospitality industry for most of her life she loves meeting new people from all over the world and this inspired her to want to help people further explore the beauty that New Zealand and the wider Queenstown region has to offer through her role at Black.

Amanda

Accounts

Amanda is originally from Scotland. After travelling the world she found her home here in Queenstown and almost 10years later is still as in awe of the beauty of the region. With a passion for travelling and the outdoors you will often find her out on the local trails or off on a new adventure. Amanda has an exceptional eye for detail and a love of helping people meaning she is perfectly suited to working in the luxury tourism sector with Black.

Our Guides

Our Experiences

Our Fleet