90 TRAVEL+LEISURE | SEPTEMBER 2019
AUSTRALIA,
NEW ZEALAND
Cassandra Bookholder
Bookholder returns to her
native Australia a few times a
year to search for new ways
to experience old favorites,
like adrenaline-fueled tours
of Sydney featuring
seaplanes, motorcycles, and
jet boats. Recently she has
been creating itineraries that
give her clients an insider’s
view of a destination, like a
visit to Waiheke Island,
Auckland’s answer to the
Hamptons. Minimum daily
spend: none; 602-889-5902;
cassandrab@camelback
travel.com.
Suzy Mercien-Ferol
Mercien-Ferol, who lives in
Brisbane, can arrange
private-jet transfers and plan
trips with stays at lodges that
are destinations in
themselves. Her favorites
include coastal getaways like
Saffire Freycinet, in Tasmania,
and mountain cabins like
Minaret Station, in Wanaka,
New Zealand. Additional
specialties: Fiji and Tahiti;
minimum daily spend: $1,500
per person; 215-586-3568;
suzy.mercien@touring
treasures.com.
Donna Thomas
Thomas knows Australia and
New Zealand inside and out.
In Australia, she can arrange
an after-dark wildlife
encounter to view eastern
quolls and other native
Tasmanian species in their
native woodlands. In New
Zealand, she highlights the
country’s many climates by
organizing mountain biking in
the Southern Alps and farm
visits in the Marlborough wine
region. Minimum daily spend:
$500; 215-741-5155; donna@
new zealand travel.org.FRENCH POLYNESIA
Christina Turrini
Turrini regularly returns to the
islands of the South Pacific—
this year, she has visited the
Marquesas and the Tuamotus.
Her connections help her set
up once-in-a-lifetime
experiences for clients, like
ahi fishing in the Tuamotu
archipelago, swimming with
blacktip sharks, and enjoying
private barbecue lunches on
small islands. Additionalspecialties: Fiji, Cook Islands,
and Italy; minimum daily
spend: $350; 415-532-8664;
[email protected].NEW ZEALAND
Jean-Michel Jefferson
Because Jefferson has lived
in New Zealand for 20 years,
he has many contacts—
photographers, chefs, and
pilots—who help him create
highly specialized itineraries.
He can set up a welcome
ceremony with the
indigenous Maori people on a
holy mountain or helicopter
rides over the Southern Alps.
Minimum daily spend: $1,000;
64-3-447-3558; jean-michel@
ahipara.com.Alexandra Stewart
Stewart’s in-depth
knowledge allows her to
suggest alternatives to
overcrowded destinations.
Her company, Antipodean
Luxury Travel, has access to
stunning wilderness areas.For a recent father-son trip,
she arranged private fly-
fishing excursions on a
sheep farm on New Zealand’s
North Island. Additional
specialties: family travel,
Australia, and the South
Pacific; minimum daily
spend: $500; 64-2998-
33806; alexandra@
antipodean luxurytravel.com.SOUTH PACIFIC
Susanne Hamer
In a part of the world where
it’s easy to book a run-of-
the-mill itinerary, Hamer’s
South Pacific trips are strik-
ingly original. She can secure
a private lagoon cruise with
a champagne lunch in Bora-
Bora or, for more adventur-
ous types, an exhilarating
skydive over the island
of Moorea. Additional
special ties: Maldives,
Seychelles, and Bali,
Indonesia; minimum daily
spend: none; 310-689-5411;
susanne.h@travel store.com.Australia,
New
Zealand,
and the
South
Pacific