Team Mana

We love what we do! We’re perfectionists and our tours are seamlessly organized to the smallest detail. Our goal is that you return home after your Journey feeling that you’ve truly encountered exceptional personality and brilliance. If it’s superlative service and experience you’re after...

• James Varnam

  A PGA Professional and expatriate Kiwi, James is a former Vice- president of the South Pacific PGA. James competed on the European, Asian and Australasian PGA tours from 1981-1989. Since then, he’s found his niche; he is passionate about his country, his guests and providing stellar golf and leisure experiences throughout the South Pacific, Ireland, Scotland, Africa and England. When he is not traveling or playing, James resides in San Diego, California. He often plays benefit tournaments, but mostly likes to spend time at home with his two boys, Joey and Gregory. He’s a member at The Palms Country Club and lives for his Saturday morning game.

• Richard Smith

  An import from England, Richard has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. He spent his formative years in South Africa, and arrived in New Zealand 35 years ago. He worked on a sheep station, then a fruit orchard and later joined NZ Customs as a wharf patrol officer. Richard’s present passions are: golf, people and travel.

• Elizabeth Payne

  A graphic artist by trade, an ardent biologist by degree, she’s also seriously adept at hustling through airports. Liz heads our Southwest office and is often your first point of contact. She handles all itineraries, marketing, special requests and details. With an ear forever to the ground, she’s a natural Travel Concierge; her forte is finding that ideal cooking class or select naturalist. Riding horses along Stanford land in her youth, she developed a passion for the outdoors at an early age. She’s never swung a golf club (yet), but fancies tropical beaches, linguistics, tall ships and natural history. In college, Liz discovered birding which has become a life-long obsession and loves to shoot skeet now that she no longer hunts pheasant with her Spinone Italiano.

• Trish Wallace

  A Canadian export and veteran world traveler, she’s fluent in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Australia & New Zealand. Trish has excelled in a wide variety of exciting careers, all involving customer care, travel and business management. Her astute organizational skills and constant concern for customer satisfaction segues perfectly into team Mana. Trish is mum to four wonderful children: Yvonne, Sarah, Andrew, Laura; and all are serious travel enthusiasts. Over the past year, she’s been avidly investigating golf, and finds the perfect swing, ah, elusive.