Kirsten was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, where she spent her childhood enjoying the great outdoors—at the beach, on the water, camping and enjoying the beauty of her surroundings.

In her early twenties, upon completing university, Kirsten decided to embark on an adventure and expand her horizons by working at a YMCA Summer Camp at Big Bear Lake in the mountains of Los Angeles. It was here that her lifelong love of travel, meeting people from other cultures and experiencing the world beyond New Zealand began. Amazingly, her lifelong friend she met at camp is part of the reason she now has her dream job at Natural Habitat Adventures.

Kirsten has a passion for travel; when she isn’t exploring the world herself, she loves making other people’s dreams come true. She has had an amazing journey in the airline industry, working for Air New Zealand and, more recently, Qantas as a consultant in the reservations department and later as an airfare technical specialist and trainer. Kirsten loves finding the needle in the haystack—that key connection, flight or solution she knows is out there somewhere. More recently, Kirsten entered the realm of corporate travel. She is excited to get back into the exciting world of leisure travel!

When not adventuring or assisting others with their trips, Kirsten loves spending time with her family and friends. She still enjoys days at the beach or on the water, often with a fishing line out, contemplating her next destination.