About Us

Aspiring Adventures is the brainchild of Steve Wilson and Katy Shorthouse. Over years guiding and managing small and large tour companies, we worked out small is better when it comes to running great trips. You benefit with small groups, flexible itineraries, personalised service, and handpicked adventure guides who are the best in their field. And Steve and Katy benefit by still being able to guide many of the trips themselves. Aspiring’s reason for being is to run great trips for real people: that’s what we love to do!

---

Steve

Growing up in rural New Zealand has kept me pretty down to earth. Playing in the paddocks, looking after animals, and dealing with the whims of the weather on the farm will do that to you. As I got older and got access to more toys I found more ways to enjoy the outdoors – I’ve lived, hiked, snowboarded, dived, wake boarded, paddled and biked in over 40 countries. All I’ve seen has made me realise how lucky I am to be from New Zealand, the most scenic country in the world, and has inspired my passion for sharing it with others. My other passions include playing the saxophone (rather well), dancing salsa (rather poorly), flying, drinking wine, and cruising in my 1972 Daimler Sovereign.

I started guiding adventure trips when I was 23. At 27, I found myself General Manager of a multinational travel company with over 70 staff. As you can imagine, in my three years of this I learned a great deal. The most important revelation was that the reason I enjoy being in tourism is sharing experiences with other travellers – something that climbing the corporate ladder was taking me away from. So, among many other things, that job helped me crystallise what I aspired to: something small, something real, where I get to design and guide trips I firmly believe to be the best they can be, in the places I’m most passionate about. For me that’s the point. Voilà, Aspiring Adventures!

Aspirations:

• 2008:to work a vintage (crush) at a winery (spent three months at Ramos Pinto port house in Portugal)
• 2009:to improve my Spanish (spent three months living in Peru and took lessons)
• 2010:to run a marathon
• 2011:to summit Mt. Aspiring, one of the toughest climbs in New Zealand

---

Katy

I was born in New Zealand, and grew up in Australia. My love affair with South America began in 1996 when I spent a year backpacking from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego and back. The next turning point came in 2001 when I abandoned a career in journalism and became a hiking guide in Tasmania. In 2003 I brought my passions together and began guiding, and then operating, multisport tours in Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Chile.

Peru seems to exert an irresistible pull on me, and apart from a stint in New Zealand, where I met Steve, I’ve been living and working here ever since – most recently training guides and updating Lonely Planet’s guide to Peru. The more I learn about its culture, outdoor opportunities (and food!), the more I love it. When I’m not leading Aspiring trips, I can be found café-hopping, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, reading Victorian lady novelists and indulging my scrabble addiction.

Aspirations:

• 2008:to complete a big self-sufficient hike (hiked unsupported for 21 days through the Australian Alps)
• 2009:to dedicate summer to hiking and biking in New Zealand (mountain biked daily, hiked four multi-day hikes and cycled the Otago Central Rail Trail)
• 2010:to start competing in downhill mountain bike races
• 2011:to do a ski season in Europe

---

Heather – NZ Office Manager

Born in the deep south of New Zealand, Heather is the backbone of our New Zealand office. She takes care of the accounting side of things, and keeps the office ticking over when Steve is off leading trips or on one of his adventures. Either she or Steve will pick up the phone when you call us. A keen sportswoman, she’s competed in hockey tournaments in Australia, New Zealand, Holland and Argentina, and spends every moment she can on the golf course. 

Aspirations:

• To learn to play the banjo
• To lower her golf handicap to single figures by 2011

---

Lucho – Peru Tour Guide

Lucho has guided rafting, hiking, and mountain biking trips in Peru, Chile and Austria for over a decade. Katy first met Lucho in 2005 on an exploratory rafting trip and was impressed with his local knowledge and passion for his native Cusco. He’s one of Peru’s most experienced and highly qualified outdoors guides. We’re privileged to have him on the Aspiring team.

Aspirations:

• To do a season raft guiding in New Zealand
• To open a vegetarian restaurant in Cusco, Peru

---

Simon – New Zealand Tour Guide

Simon is a quintessential Kiwi bloke and Renaissance man. Born and raised on a sheep farm Simon has a unique insight into the rural lifestyle of New Zealand. He developed a love and appreciation for the outdoors at an early age while exploring the countryside. Simon has a keen interest in tramping (Kiwi slang for hiking), loves getting out on his bike, and enjoys bagging a peak or two each year. His interests span a wide range of subjects from Maori culture to Irish folk music, sheep dog trials to Thai food, and philosophy to politics… And he delights in sharing his insider’s knowledge of New Zealand with his clients.

Aspirations:

• To climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2010
• To cycle the length of New Zealand