New Zealand and Australia Cruise Ship Shore Excursions and Tours our team

Our Team

Ian Holroyd - Managing Director

Ian Holroyd, owner and managing director of Shore Trips and Tours has a love of New Zealand that goes way beyond skin deep. He's created his life around it!

Moving to Tauranga, New Zealand from Britain in 2001, he quickly identified the lack of tours and sightseeing options available to cruise ship passengers. Starting off with a 1985 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit he brought with him from England; the business grew quickly, ending up with operations in 7 New Zealand ports, 55 driver/guides and 45 vehicles. He also created a network of over 300 similar tour companies throughout New Zealand and Australia, offering the largest selection of shore experiences available.

The COVID pandemic in 2020 hit the business hard, forcing a downsize due to a lack of cruise visits. The company now operates only in Tauranga with a smaller fleet of 10 vehicles but still has a network of partner companies in New Zealand to offer tours nationwide.

Now celebrating 25 years in operation, Shore Trips & Tours remains the leading Shore Excursions company

On a personal note when he gets away from the office he enjoys spending time with his wife Jacqui, travelling around Europe in our winter months and riding his motorbikes in the NZ summers.

Donna-Marie Arlidge - Office Administrator

The person behind the scenes making sure the office and tours all run smoothly. I joined the team as the office person in June 2023. I am the voice on the phone or writing the messages to you to ensure your day on our tours go well. Co-ordinating with the guides to ensure everyone is having a wonderful day.

I have lived in the Bay of Plenty for over 30 years and love the area, spending time at the beaches and exploring the area with my friends.

I have been employed in retail and office environments most of my working life, helping others is my passion.

Brian Dey - Tour Guide / Driver

I'm a lucky person! I've met so many delightful people who want to have a great day out. And that's my speciality!

I love reading about history, I have an extensive knowledge of Maoritanga and speak Maori, I have studied the animals and plants of New Zealand especially while tramping in the mountains and bush of our National Parks. When the last of our four children went off to University, my wife and I moved close to the sea where I found this wonderful job which allows me to share all of this knowledge especially with our overseas visitors. For a day, a brief moment in our lives, we laugh and share our experiences, as I introduce you to the special places in our area.

I work with a dedicated team which is totally focused on ensuring your time with us is memorable. I've been doing this for 20 years, and I love it!

Alistair Eagleson - Tour Guide / Driver

After living in different places in the North Island, 20 years ago the attraction of the climate, employment opportunities and the lifestyle available in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty were, and have continued to be, an irresistible attraction.

Now it is a privilege, as one of the team of tour guides and drivers at Shore Trips and Tours, to be able to spend time with visitors to the Bay of Plenty and share information about a unique part (Tauranga and Rotorua) of a wonderful country that we are so proud of. New Zealand is a special part of the world (were not biased, of course!!) and I enjoy meeting people and talking about what makes us different (and the same) to other places and people in the world.

I hope you enjoy your visit to Tauranga and, if I have the opportunity, I look forward to making your stopover an enjoyable and memorable experience.

John Richmond - Tour Guide / Driver

My wife Carol and I moved to Tauranga in 2014 from Auckland where I'd been a tour guide since 2006, specialising in the Rotorua and Northland regions.

We are a blended family with five adult children and nine grand children. We have been avid travellers for many years and have more recently become committed cruisers having completed over two hundred (200) days cruising to various regions during the last seven years.

I have been driving for Shore Trips and Tours for 12 years now and am proud to be part of their dedicated team. I am looking forward to sharing with you the spectacular attractions, beautiful scenery and cultural history the region has to offer. It is always a pleasure to spend time with our overseas guests and join with you on your journey through our wonderful and unique country.

Keith Wratt - Tour Guide / Driver

I have lived in the Bay of Plenty for over 20 years farming and growing kiwifruit.

Heather (my wife) and I live near Te Puke which is the Kiwifruit Capital of the World. We have 3 married children and 8 grandchildren with whom we enjoy spending as much time as possible. We live on a small block of land where we breed and graze Dexter Cattle and Shropshire sheep. In my spare time I enjoy gardening, spending time with family, getting out and about, taking photos, collecting stamps and working on our land.

I joined the team at Shore Trips and Tours in 2015 to show visitors this lovely part of the world known as the Bay of Plenty / Rotorua area. There is so much to see here and it is my pleasure to be your driver and guide for a day out and show off some of what I love about this area. I look forward to meeting you soon.

Richard Inder - Tour Guide / Driver

Kia ora I am a recently retired principal who has enjoyed a career in education. I think the area we live in is a special slice of paradise and I look forward to sharing the history, culture and beauty of this part of the Bay of Plenty with you. Easy access to the sea, rivers, lakes, the bush and mountains provides a multitude of outdoor pursuits which makes this area an idyllic place to live.

I am a VERY keen sportsman and are still active in a range of sports including tennis, fishing, cycling, walking, skiing and sometimes a little bit of golf.

My wife and I enjoy travel not only in Aotearoa but also across the world. We have 3 children -Ben, Sam and Lucy and 2 grandchildren Florence and Johnny. I look forward to meeting you.

Kathrin Chappell - Food Tour Guide / Driver

Specialist Foor Tour Guide

Richard McKenzie - Tour Guide / Driver

Hi, I'm Richard and this is my second season with Shore Trips & Tours.

Originally from the Waikato I have lived in the Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa area for the last 15 years. As a teenager in the sixties I spent a lot of time in the Bay of Plenty so I have had a long association with the area.

When I'm not working my main interests are rugby, racing and cricket and I also play bowls and cycle.

I am a keen traveler and over the last ten years have visited more than 25 countries including an All-Black Grand Slam Tour of the UK in 2010 and several cruises. I look forward to meeting many new faces and sharing my special part of the world.

Peter Haywood - Tour Guide / Driver

I arrived in Tauranga with my wife and two children from the UK in 2002 on a two-year work permit for the holiday of a lifetime! However, a year later we were residents and after three years, NZ citizens. New Zealand, and in particular Tauranga, had the perfect live/work/play lifestyle, and we were here to stay.

I started a commercial construction business, finishing up after nine years to have more time to enjoy the better things in life.

As a family we took to the NZ outdoors; tramping (walking many of the Great Walks, and much more besides), running and trail cycling. We have loved visiting almost everywhere in New Zealand, and found it to be not only beautiful but also diverse.

As a touring visitor, you will find something different to see and do at each stop. It is my pleasure to share with you some of the delights of the amazing Bay of Plenty, that I chose to call home.

Grahame West - Tour Guide / Driver

Welcome to Tauranga, the hub of the Bay of Plenty. Our city's population is approximately 130,000 people with tourism and horticulture being the main contributors to our economy.

The Bay of Plenty has a tremendous amount of interesting places for visitors to enjoy and I look forward to meeting you and showing you around. Hopefully making the stopover in Tauranga a highlight of your vacation.

My wife Patricia & I retired to Omokoroa a few years ago and now take life a little slower. For most of my life I have been self-employed, travelling throughout New Zealand doing consultancy in the electrical/mechanical industries. In recent times, I have been driving buses working with 'special needs' people, taking them to school and places of their employment.

Motor racing is my recreation and I have been involved with this sport for many years, not only as a spectator but also at competition level in rallying. I look forward to sharing my beautiful Bay of Plenty with you.