One day at the gym he met Suzanne Mexted, who was working as an instructor. After some overseas travel, the couple settled back in Rotorua.
A builder by trade, he got into spec building, but the business faced a squeeze in the 1991 economic downturn and he looked for other options. During a visit to Los Angeles, he and his wife had been on a guided tour, which he had loved, so he decided to get into the guiding business.
"At the time, Rotorua catered for the backpackers, but didn't cater to the upmarket side of things," he said.
So they started Tour Magic, which aimed to give wealthy tourists a customised tour experience. Within their first year, Tour Magic had begun working with Abercrombie & Kent, one of the leading international high-end tour operators. And by the early 1990s the government was beginning to invest heavily in tourism, so the company piggybacked off the growing explosion of the sector and grew with it.
Tour Magic became the leading upmarket operator in Rotorua, with Mr Mexted-Dykes specialising in organising personally led tours for ultrawealthy clients beyond the city and throughout New Zealand. He noted that when he first began in the business, the very rich tended to be in the 60-plus age bracket, but increasingly they were in their 40s, with different interests.
"They're a lot younger and they want to do adventure stuff," he said.
Options have included accompanying rich clients on ascents of Mount Ruapehu and caving expeditions with expert specialist guides on hand. He said one of the appeals of New Zealand for wealthy celebrities was that Kiwis tended to not make a fuss over VIPs, whereas in other countries they were often harassed.
"One of the biggest things I noticed in more than 20 years in this business, in the comments that came back from clients, was how lovely and friendly Kiwis are. It's amazing."
Last September, Tour Magic was sold to Andy Hickson, a former Air New Zealand engineer. Mr Mexted-Dykes continues to do some specialised guiding with the company and is helping the new owner learn the ropes.
The reason for the sale was to focus on Activities & Events Unlimited, set up nearly 20 years ago, which was a pioneer in creating the niche of themed events staged outside hotel premises, though he worked closely with leading operators.
"In the early days the hotels hadn't done any of the outside stuff we do now, like forests dining," he said. "We're really busy and things are very good . . . It's been a fantastic year."
Skyline Rotorua general manager Bruce Thomasen, who has known Mr Mexted-Dykes since his own days with the Sheraton Hotel in the late 1990s, described him as a key professional in the conference incentive and events arena in terms of hosting and delivering on fantastic themed events.
"He has worked with all of the top operators and helped Rotorua deliver world-best events," he said.
"The reason Rotorua is so successful in the meeting space is because of how well the industry works together. Ian is absolutely part of that glue."
Ian Mexted-Dykes
- Role: Founder and coowner of Activities & Events Unlimited; founder and former owner of Tour Magic.
- Born: Hampshire, England.
- Age: 59.
- First job: Builder.
- Recently read: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing.
