Case 01 · 2025
The 50th-birthday loop
Twelve friends, ten days, one helicopter picnic and a zero-drama casino evening to close it out.
Emotion Journey · About us
A travel studio built on one bad holiday
We're a small Queenstown team who started this agency after a forgettable package tour in 2016. Nine years and 640+ trips later, the rule hasn't changed: if we wouldn't send our own family on it, we don't sell it.
The story so far
Nine years, three desks
From a spare bedroom above a Shotover Street café to a studio with planners in two countries — here's how the road bent.
The first desk, 2017
2017
Kitchen-table beginnings
Maya books her first paid trip — a honeymoon loop through Fiordland. The couple still sends a Christmas card.
2019
Shotover Street office
First proper studio, first employee, first wall covered in pinned maps. We still plan on paper first.
2022
The after-dark line launches
We start curating casino hotels and casino events for adults — same care, sharper shoes. Strictly 18+, always with responsible-play guidance.
2024
640 trips and counting
A second planner joins, our lodge partner list hits 41, and rebookings become our biggest source of new clients.
2026
Still small on purpose
We cap monthly bookings so every trip gets a planner who actually knows your name.
The philosophy
Trips are measured in feelings, not sights
Slow beats busy
Two places done properly beat five done in a blur. We'll talk you out of a stop if it dilutes the trip.
Locals first
Māori hosts in Rotorua, fourth-gen high-country farmers, boat skippers who grew up on the lake.
Honest over easy
If a famous lodge is overrated we'll say so. Our fee is flat — no hidden markup steering the advice.
The people
Planners you'll actually speak to
No call centre, no ticket queue. These are the humans behind your itinerary.
Maya Ellison
Founder · Lead planner
Ex-chef, maps on paper first, Fiordland evangelist.
Tom Barrett
Routes · South Island
Drove every alpine pass twice. Once in a blizzard, for research.
Aroha Ngata
Culture · North Island
Builds our Rotorua and Auckland routes with local hosts.
Sam Whitfield
Evenings · Partnerships
Runs the casino hotels desk and the event calendar. 18+ gatekeeper.
Selected work
Trips we're still proud of
Case 02 · 2025
Honeymoon in a hurry
Booked in nine days — Queenstown, Milford, Wānaka. The couple now rebooks every anniversary.
Case 03 · 2026
Three generations, one route
Grandparents to grandkids on a Rotorua–Taupō loop. Paced so nobody under 8 or over 80 melted down.
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Trips delivered
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Years running
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Partner lodges
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Avg. traveller rating
Planner's table, Shotover St
Why travellers return
We're small enough to actually care
- Every trip gets one named planner, start to finish
- Monthly booking cap — we say no before quality dips
- Flat planning fee, no hidden commissions
- On-trip support in your timezone, not a call queue
Say hello
Nice to properly meet you
Read about the routes on our journeys page, or skip straight to the conversation.
Contact the studio