Meet our Guide: Kelsi Henderson

Born in Invercargill, between farmland and city life, Kelsi grew up surrounded by the wild beauty of Fiordland and the Catlins, lush, remote landscapes teeming with wildlife. When not guiding, she’s often still outdoors hiking, mountain biking, or rock climbing, with family and friends at the heart of her downtime. Her top advice for new hikers in New Zealand is to “trust your feet,” and she swears by garlic bread and chocolate as essential trail snacks. Known for her laughter and love of shared humour, she dreams of tackling the challenging Dusky Track in Fiordland one day.

Tell us about your hometown

I was born in the deep, deep south between a farm and small city, Invercargill. Te Anau would typically be the closest you’d get to my hometown, which is really for the best because you're in constant danger of catching the local hair-affecting plague, otherwise known as the mullet. While the city itself might not be much to write home about, other than the local Tuatara (aka 3-eyed native dinosaurs!) the surrounds are pretty unreal, with Fiordland National Park to the west and the Catlins to the East, it's lush, wild and sparsely populated, all with epic wildlife a stone's-throw-away (penguins, seals, sealions, birds, dolphins, sharks and so much more)!

What do you do when you're not working or hiking?

I'm often laughed at by friends and whānau (family) because I finish work, and then I go hike some more! Aside from this, I'm a baby-mountain biker (scary!) and love to get out rock-climbing when I can. I'm guardian of one of my nieces, and friends and whānau are pretty central to my down time.

As a guide, what's your top tip for someone new to hiking in New Zealand?

Trust your feet! We don't have any scaries in Aotearoa bush so you can focus on just trusting your body - our feet tend to find the way when we let them! 

How do you prepare for a multi-day hike?

I was introduced to hiking with the motto "there's not much you can't do without" and it's proven true so far! 

...Don't worry, there's very thorough lists and processes for our guided trips!

Do you have a favourite trail snack or meal?

Garlic bread and chocolate (these are also key bribes should you ever need inspiration).

Sharing a laugh is such a benefit of group travel – share with us one of your funny moments on a trip?

I often spend most of the trip laughing so it's incredibly difficult to pick one moment. That said, I'm a firm believer that farts are ALWAYS funny... 

What’s one place you haven’t hiked yet but would love to explore?

Dusky Track. Down in Fiordland, it's lovingly known by many as the hardest track in the country, it's wild, rough and rugged (I've heard stories of folks taking refuge up trees from rising rivers) and sounds like a heck of an adventure one day!