AS an adventure cave guide Lucy's job is to take visitors of all ages and nationalities on tours through the "glow-worm-studded subterranean wonderland" of the Waitomo Caves near Hamilton.
Trained to take the two-hour walkway tours, and the three-hour cave-stream-way tours, she guides them through the darkness while they get a chance to "abseil, weave, jump, float and walk through this new experience".
She first experienced working at the "legendary" Blackwater Rafting Company on a six-month QRC diploma of adventure tourism management internship and, although she eventually returned to the college, on graduation in 2009 she was offered the job again.
"[I] have been there ever since and loving every moment of it. The longer I stay here the more I learn and the more trips I can learn to guide."
Lucy is in the middle of training to become a guide for the five-hour cave-abseil tour, another option she is excited about having, in work she says is never repetitive.
"The best part of the job is that no two trips are the same. No matter how many times you do the trip, every time is different as you have a whole group from different countries ... It is like you're joining in in their holiday and making it fun and exciting."
In addition to giving her the basic skills and confidence she needs in her job - and perhaps to one day to manage or run her own business - the QRC gave her valuable insight into dealing with various nationalities.
She says the internship and "hands-on experience" helped her get where she is today, in dealing with people "sometimes for 12 hours a day" and on-the-spot decision making.
`With no-one or anything to tell you what is wrong or right you've just got to do what is best for the groups that you have," Lucy said.
However, she has much bigger plans in the long term.
"I see myself from here staying at Waitomo for a little bit longer, and then travelling the world, experiencing different cultures and gaining more experience - then one day in the next few years return back to New Zealand to either work my way up in an existing company or to start my own business. Only time will tell."
