Meet Sarah Lamason, Owner and Guide

Sarah Lamason owns Private Discovery Tours, delivering private and intentionally small-group experiences across Queenstown, the Southern Lakes and the South Island.

A former Chartered Accountant, and 39 countries

Before Queenstown, Sarah was a Chartered Accountant. She has travelled to 39 countries, lived in London, Toronto and Berlin, and worked in Papua New Guinea. That’s a fairly unusual run-up to owning a tour company, and it shows in how the business is run: the commercial discipline of an accountant, applied to a business built on getting the small things right for a handful of guests at a time.

Home is Queenstown and Glenorchy

Sarah returned to New Zealand in 2019, well before taking on Private Discovery Tours, and has built her life between Queenstown and Glenorchy ever since, where many of the tours operate. It’s not a base she flies in and out of. It’s where she lives with her two dogs, and it’s the ground the tours are built on.

Taking on something already built

Sarah took on a company with more than twenty years behind it, and her focus has been on protecting what already works rather than remaking it: staying intentionally small, and keeping the guiding to the standard guests have come to expect.

The guide team

Our guides are long-term locals or Kiwis, based in Queenstown or the surrounding region. Nobody on the road with you is reading from a script or reciting facts learned for the job. They live here.

Outside the business

Sarah serves on the committee of the Fernhill and Sunshine Bay Community Association, and supports local conservation, including donations made on behalf of guests to the Bob’s Cove Predator Control Group. Away from work, she’s usually kayaking, out with her two dogs, or looking for native birdlife and flora.

Stories From Our Guests

Felix Fong

2 months ago

We highly recommend Lucy! She was such a friendly driver and shared so much amazing local culture and highlights along the way. She took us to the private farm to see cattle and sheep, and walked us through how sheep shearing works in real life. The hiking route she picked was perfect — not too hard, not too easy. She also taught us loads about the native bush and trees. It was such an unforgettable experience with her!

Mona He

2 months ago

The bespoke hike Sarah and her team put together for us was great. Combining 4 separate walks we saw lakes mountains and much more. Thank you! Lucy and Lee were fantastic on the hike and shared their local history and botanical knowledge with us. Could not have asked for a better day for a team bonding hike. Thank you.

Rose Maisano

6 months ago

We had Lucy Snelgrove as our tour guide for a private hike on the route burn trail and she was amazing 🙂 we came from the US and didn’t have rain jackets. Knowing it would be rainy, she had extra jackets and ponchos for us, made our hike sooo much more enjoyable! She kept a great pace and was very knowledgeable about the trail, plants and birds we saw along the way. Would very highly recommend!! We had some extra time and instead of bringing us back to our hotel right away, she went out of the way to bring us to some more view points to check out the beautiful scenery.

Kirsten Mackey

7 months ago

My husband and I took a tour through a section of the Routeburn track and we had a great time! Lucy provided us with so many interesting facts about the area and was a great guide! We thoroughly enjoyed our walk through the track and would definitely recommend!

Phileas Fogg

11 months ago

My wife and I spent a fantastic day in Paradise Valley, guided by Charles. A journey through fairytale locations. Now we understand why The Lord of the Rings was filmed here. We come from a big city. Unspoiled places like those we saw today, where the sound of silence and the absence of people reign supreme, are a unique opportunity. Charles showed us places that are technically impossible to reach on our own. Breathtaking views, views of the lake, mountains with snow-capped peaks, forests, valleys... it's almost impossible to describe the details. Even the photographs don't do the reality justice. Congratulations to Charles, thank you very much.

Syd Gernstein

2 years ago

My wife and I had a full day Milford Sound tour with Charles. We could not have scripted a more perfect day of travel. Of course, the trip to Milford Sound was fantastic. The journey itself was great—we stopped at a ton of viewing points, one more beautiful than the next. And I really don’t have words to describe how impossibly beautiful Milford Sound itself is. But it was Charles who truly tied this day together and made it so memorable. Charles is everything you’d want in a travel guide—knowledgeable, interesting, and an amazing conversationalist. He also is just the consummate professional: the day was perfectly timed so that we were constantly doing things without ever feeling rushed. My wife and I have had an amazing time in Queenstown. Seriously, if we had any more time here, what we would do would be an absolute no-brainer: book another tour with Charles. In sum, I can’t recommend Charles more highly. A class act.

Sharon F.

2 years ago

Charles Fraser was the ultimate professional guide. He was totally knowledgeable & informative on all aspects of New Zealand. He knew so much about the country, its culture, its people, and the history. We spent two days with him & had a most memorable time hiking & exploring Milford Sound & the countryside of New Zealand. He is remarkably upbeat & happy and you feel like you’ve known him forever. He made a most favorable impression on us, and made the day’s exciting. We will never forget his graciousness. We highly suggest hiring him and his company to experience the very best of New Zealand.