Route research
Catlins Coastal Survey
Six weeks mapping every workable stop between Balclutha and Invercargill. Result: our newest day route.
About the studio
The people behind glowmavi
A nine-person travel studio in Dunedin that plans trips the way we'd want them planned for us — obsessive about routes, honest about trade-offs, and allergic to tourist traps.
Dunedin-based
Running since 2017
9 humans, 0 bots
Our story
How a beat-up Land Cruiser became a travel agency
GlowMavi started in 2017 with two mates, one truck and a habit of showing visiting friends "the real version" of Dunedin. Somewhere between the hundredth peninsula sunset and the first stranger who paid for it, it became a business.
We're still small on purpose. Small enough to remember your name, big enough to have the phone answered at 2am when a ferry gets cancelled.
2017
where it started
2017
Two mates, one truck
Unofficial tours for friends-of-friends around Otago. Payment in beer and good reviews.
2019
George Street office
Signed the lease above the bookshop. First proper booking system — a spreadsheet and a prayer.
2021
Fiordland routes open
Partnered with small-boat operators in Te Anau. The expedition trip is born and immediately outsells everything.
2023
Evening programme
Added hosted casino events and casino hotel stays for travellers who asked what to do after dark.
2026
Nine humans, 1,400 travellers
Same philosophy, better vans. Still Dunedin, still answering our own phone.
Philosophy
Three rules we actually run the company by
Not the inspirational-poster kind — these get quoted in arguments about itineraries.
"Would we send Mum?"
The test for every route, hotel and partner. If the answer is a hesitation, it doesn't go in the catalogue.
"Say the ugly part"
Long drives, patchy weather, the famous spot that's overrated — we tell you upfront, then plan around it.
"Small beats big"
Twelve seats, not forty. Local operators, not multinationals. Margin second, trip first.
"A good itinerary is invisible. You should remember the penguins, not the logistics."
Track record
Numbers we're quietly proud of
No industry awards on the wall yet — we're too busy driving. But these figures come from post-trip surveys and the booking ledger, and we trust them more than trophies.
- 97% of travellers say they'd book again
- 0 trips cancelled by us in the last 3 seasons
- Every planner still drives their own routes quarterly
1400+
Travellers hosted
46
Active routes
4.9/5
Avg. review score
9
Years running
The team
Nine humans — here are the four you'll probably meet
Planners, hosts and the person who answers the phone. No stock photos, no borrowed bio text.
Office dog: Haku, border collie, unpaid
Mavi Kaur
Founder · Head planner
Started the company in a Land Cruiser. Still personally vets every new route — ask her about the Catlins.
Oli Brennan
Senior host · Guide
Fourth-generation Otago local. Knows which beach the sea lions prefer on a Tuesday.
Sana Reyes
Ops manager
The reason your transfers, bookings and weather backup plans actually line up. Spreadsheet legend.
Tom Whitford
Evening host
Runs the casino nights and dinners. Former croupier, current enthusiast of long explanations of baccarat.
Fieldwork
Projects and research behind the trips
The catalogue is the tip of it — here's the work that happens between seasons.
Community
Local First Programme
Revenue-share agreements with 23 small Otago operators — cafés, boaties, cellar doors — so the money stays here.
Photo essays
Fiordland in Bad Weather
A photo series proving the fiords look best when it's raining. Used to convince clients the forecast is a feature.
Event ops
Winter Festival Logistics
Accommodation and transport wrangling for Dunedin's midwinter celebrations — 400 beds, zero stranded guests.
In good company
Who we work with
Small operators we trust with your holiday — audited every season, re-earned every year.
Te Anau Boat Co.
Small-boat fjord cruises
Bannockburn Cellars
Six partner wineries
Otago Stays Group
Boutique accommodation