About Us

PureTrails New Zealand has been operating walking and biking tour holidays since 2003. The tour company was established by Hilary Weller and her mother Sue, who were looking for ways to share their love of the wild and beautiful outdoors of New Zealand with others. Dissatisfied with other active tours available for both international and domestic tourists, they sought to develop our own itineraries and travelling style that has proved to be a success.

PureTrails tours are extremely well organised and meticulously planned, ensuring your tour experience is hassle free. We adopt a casual and relaxed approach to daily tour leadership, resulting in an organised yet unobtrusive style of travel. Our tours are designed primarily for the senior active traveller. It's not to say that our tours are any less active, it just means the peer group is much the same age, averaging around 58 years. All our hiking tours have two guides on each trip, so we are able to accommodate a wide range of walking abilities by offering plenty of walk options. We are dedicated to giving you a unique and memorable active holiday experience and look forward to sharing our beautiful county with you.

Hilary, Sue and the team at PureTrails New Zealand

Meet the team

Hilary Weller

Founder and Managing Director

Hilary is at the helm of our 'mission control', and is likely to be the person who answers your phone or email enquiries. After travelling the world for several years and working in tourism on her big 'OE', Hilary came home and fell in love with her country once again and in particular, the South Island. With a love of the outdoors and her academic marketing background, she decided that teaming up with her mother in their business venture was to be an excellent, enjoyable and satisfying career path. Hilary enjoys photography, mountain biking and DIY house renovations, and more recently, being a mum. Hilary lives in Christchurch with her partner Dean and daughter Josie. Her dream is to one day build a house in the Maniototo with a view of the Hawkduns.

 

Sue Weller

Co-founder and Director

After retiring from a long career as a registered nurse, Sue was looking for a new challenge and decided that guiding people around the beautiful countryside of New Zealand would be a perfect way to enjoy her passion of hiking and the outdoors, and would provide the opportunity to share New Zealand's best kept secrets with small groups of like-minded people... hence PureTrails New Zealand was established! Sue is a passionate hiker and in addition to hiking extensively in New Zealand, has also enjoyed hiking in Nepal, France, Spain and Italy over the years. Sue also enjoys mountain biking and gardening, and lives with her husband John (below).

 

Stuart Weller

Operations Manager

Stuart has recently joined our team, and is responsible for the day to day operations and logistics of our tours and fleet of vehicles and bikes. Stuart is new to the tourism industry, having come from the wine industry where he has worked as both an Operations Manager of a large scale winemaking operation, and as a winemaker of a boutique label, in the lovely Adelaide Hills of South Australia. In some ways managing the winemaking process and overseeing the organisation of a well planned tour are not dissimilar! Stuart has made the move across the Tasman with his partner Lucy, and young daughters Talia and Sienna, and is looking forward to experiencing our tours first hand over the coming months.

 

Sue Hawkins

Joined in 2006

Sue has spent much of her life on the Canterbury Plains near Springfield where she grew up. Sue and husband Brian run a sheep and cattle farm, and she has also spent some time working at the local hospital as a nursing assistant. Sue's interests include walking biking swimming and playing golf, and she is also involved in the running of her local golf club. Sue joined the PureTrails team enticed by the opportunity to meet likeminded people and show them around our backyard, and to give a true taste of kiwi hospitality. 
 

Jim Millar

Joined in 2006

Jim grew up in Geraldine, South Canterbury, and spent much of his free time exploring the outdoors both close to home and throughout the South Island. During his 33 years in the New Zealand Police, Jim worked in many of the South Island's most remote areas including Central Otago. Jim has competed in various multi sport and endurance events, and has also assisted in the safety aspects of the renowned 'Coast to Coast' race. Jim is a hobbyist beekeeper, a keen tramper and fisherman, reknown storyteller, a moonlight builder, and lives in Christchurch with his wife, Steph.

 

Grant Nolan

Joined in 2007

Grant took up retirement several years ago from a local sheepskin tannery and has been enjoying the quiet life ever since. Being an avid golfer, Grant can be found on the fairway almost every day, or alternatively out and about on his mountain bike having once been a competitive mountain biker. Being such a passionate outdoorsman Grant has been involved as a volunteer in the renowned annual 'Speight's Coast to Coast' Endurance Race for a number of years. Together with his wife Maureen, Grant has enjoyed many of the South Island's 'great walks', and also enjoys travel abroad.

 

John Weller

Director - joined in 2008

John grew up in the quiet North Island town of Wanganui, where in his school days, he helped build the famed 'Wanganui High School Tramping Club Hut' on Mount Ruapehu. John recently retired from a long career as a Property Valuer and Agricultural consultant where he practised for many years in Western Australia, and Tauranga. John and wife Sue (above) have travelled and walked extensively abroad, and John now enjoys introducing our visitors to favourite parts of NZ. Other hobbies include mountain biking, gardening & horse racing (don't get him started on the latter!)

 

Joyce Kelly

Joined in 2008

Joyce grew up in the tiny South Canterbury settlement of Burkes Pass. She worked in the beautiful alpine environment of the Mackenzie Basin in various pursuits, including in the post office as a Telephone Exchange Operator. It was here that Joyce was inspired to become a water colour artist (some of her work can be seen in the Kimbell Pub). Nowadays Joyce is busy tending her garden, cycling around the quiet rural roads of Russells Flat in mid Canterbury, tutoring water colour, cooking, tramping, and travelling extensively abroad with husband John.

 

John Kay

Joined in 2011

John has a background in human resources and has worked for mining companies in NZ Australia & Papua New Guinea in the health and safety field, as well as a stint as a commissioned officer in the NZ territorial army. Nowadays John has semi retired to a lifestyle block near Rangiora where he aims to breed highland cattle with his wife Julie. Outside of work John has always been a bit of an adventurer, sportsman and philosopher, enjoying mountain biking, tramping, swimming and playing bagpipes. Some of John's adventure highlights include the Rainbow Rage, Kokoda Trail (PNG), Everest base camp trek, and numerous ocean swimming events in Australia.

 

Chris Summerfield

Joined in 2011

Chris has lived in Christchurch most of her life. She retired from her career as a Chartered Accountant so she could spend more time with husband Peter (below) travelling and enjoying the quiet life. Chris loves doing “anything outdoors” especially walking on the Port Hills and Canterbury foothills. Over the years Chris and Peter have completed many tramps and adventures together throughout the South Island, spent time as hut warden at Mueller Hut in the Mt Cook National Park and also trekked in the Himalayas and USA. Other interests include cycling and gardening. Chris, who has recently become a grandmother for the first time, also loves to spend time with family.

 

Peter Summerfield

Joined in 2011

Peter grew up in Christchurch and early in his working life spent three years in Twizel during the construction of the Upper Waitaki power scheme. A career change led to 35 years in the New Zealand Police with time spent in Central Otago and Canterbury. Peter was active in Search and Rescue for much of his Police service and completed two overseas deployments to Thailand following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. He is a keen cyclist and has competed in the ‘Round Lake Tekapo’ cycle race and cycled many tracks and trails in Central Otago and around the Canterbury foothills.  He is an active, if not always successful, lawn bowler.