Guided from Munich to Marlborough
Kayak guide Lea Kilgenstein is looking forward to her first summer on the water in the Abel Tasman National Park.
Originally hailing from Munich, Germany, Kilgenstein has spent the past four years going to and from New Zealand, and is well versed in the national tourism industry – she wrote her Ludwig Maximilian University bachelors in anthropology thesis on the role that Ma¯ori culture plays in New Zealand tourism.
‘‘I was trying to find out if Ma¯ori experiences, in Rotorua for example, are a commercialisation of culture or if it is the other way around, if you are culturalising commerce, and whether that is a good thing or a bad thing,’’ Kilgenstein said.
‘‘I definitely think it is a good thing. ‘‘In general, there is always a question of how authentic that is but most of these companies are organised by iwi and a lot of the time the profit goes back to the iwi as well.’’
Through her studies, Kilgenstein has come to learn about concepts in te ao Ma¯ori such as kaitiakitanga (guardianship), which she says plays a ‘‘huge role’’ in Aotearoa’s tourism.
‘‘It is all about protecting the environment into the future. I think it is good there are certain lines you don’t cross, places you can’t go. New Zealand is the way it is because concepts like this are an integral part of tourism.’’
Kilgenstein initially came to New Zealand to finish her degree and have a working holiday.
Her first job in 2018 was as a tour consultant with ANZ Nature Tours, which runs tours for German speakers.
She then moved on to Flying Kiwi, where she encountered other guides who recommended the Adventure Tourism courses offered at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT).
As a result, she completed her degree as well as two other qualifications from NMIT – the certificate and diploma in adventure tourism and guiding.
‘‘My initial goal was a working holiday but once I got into the industry and started studying, I could see there were just endless opportunities to do more and more,’’ she said. ‘‘I didn’t really plan this as a career but I love it now.’’
Since the ski season and her job as a snowboarding instructor at The Remarkables wrapped up, Kilgenstein has spent a month kayak guiding in the Marlborough Sounds, and has now started a new role as a summer kayak guide in the Abel Tasman National Park.
She said most of her guests in Marlborough had been young Germans, who loved nature, hiking and ‘‘not a lot of people’’.