Our Story
Our conservation roots
Les Hutchins had a lifelong commitment to Fiordland National Park and conservation. In 1973 he became a founding Guardian of the Lakes, serving for 26 years, and later spent 12 years on the New Zealand Conservation Authority. He was also a founding patron of the New Zealand National Parks and Conservation Foundation.
In the early days, Fiordland faced threats from hydropower expansion, including proposals to raise Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau—putting the region’s unique landscapes at risk. Les and Lady Olive joined the campaign to save the lakes, with the successful Save Manapouri movement often seen as the beginning of New Zealand’s modern conservation movement.
Les was awarded an OBE in 1998 and made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002 for his services to conservation and tourism.
His legacy continues through the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation (established in 1994). Les passed away in 2003, leaving the company in the hands of his wife Olive and son Bryan.
Les was posthumously inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in 2011.
Rescuing Queenstown’s Lady of the Lake
The TSS Earnslaw is an integral part of Queenstown’s pioneering history and to this day a Queenstown icon. After a solid career as a vessel for the New Zealand Railways, providing an essential link between isolated farming communities along the shores of Lake Whakatipu, the TSS Earnslaw was due to be scrapped in 1968.
Les & Olive made the decision to purchase the steamship and spent the proceeding yearly painstakingly restoring it to its original condition.
To this day everything you see is pretty much like it was over 100 years ago. In fact, the TSS Earnslaw is the only hand-fired, commercial passenger-carrying steamship in operation in the Southern Hemisphere, making her one of the most unique experiences in the world.
Tourism provides a unique opportunity to connect people with precious and remote places. We need to get out into nature to appreciate its power and importance. By creating rich and immersive experiences our goal is to amplify our guest's love and respect for nature, so we can work together to protect our wilderness for future generations.
Key Milestones
