Info de John
We (Amanda and John Cushen) take a real pride in our personalized, relaxed professional approach to hosting at Queenstown Country Lodge. Being 3rd generation New Zealanders we have a passion for our country and especially the beautiful Queenstown area we live in. After many years working in the tourism industry, we now bring our own unique blend of kiwi energy, enthusiasm and relaxed professionalism to our new venture, that of opening our own country Lodge. About 12 years ago we made a decision to follow our passion for sailing and tourism. We left our real jobs and embarked on a wonderful adventure which included positions such as nature guide and team Leader on overnight vessels in Fiordland, luxury lodge managers on a high country sheep station, Tourism Operator Managers at Stewart Island and for 4 years as Captain/Chef/Hosts on an American Charter motor yacht cruising the Mediterranean, Bahamas and North America. Upon returning to Queenstown we have wine guided, taken day nature trips, trained tourism staff, skippered and hosted on a Fiordland charter boat and at present run a tertiary adventure tourism management programme (John) and work as a quality assurance assessor within the New Zealand Tourism Industry. (Amanda) These experiences have allowed us to clearly identify what type of experience and service we want to offer. I (Amanda) love nothing better than to garden, fish, host guests, be creative in the kitchen as well as walk the many trails in the Queenstown area. I enjoy sailing and travel, work on quality assurance in the tourist accommodation industry in the South Island and manage publishing projects. I (John) am a real mixture. An X-Premier rugby captain, first class cricketer, sailor, professional captain, Associate High School Principal, tertiary tourism Head of Department, lecturer, wine guide, nature guide, skier, hiker, diver and fisherman ….enough said. In my spare time I am trying to master new challenges such as golf and fly fishing as well as farming, gardening, hiking. I continue to play cricket, mountain bike, jog, ski, and sail. I have a passion for the outdoors, the night sky and the protection of our beautiful environment. “The key thing to remember is that we both pride ourselves on our attention to detail and get a great deal of satisfaction out of ensuring people have a wonderful time with us. So we are only too glad to help in any way…..please do not hesitate to ask.”