She was brought up on a farm and went to Wanganui's Westmere School. She's been a chef at the Rutland Arms Inn, and a tour guide on the Tongariro Crossing.
"I'm using both of those skills. I can cook a nutritious meal for big amounts of people," she said.
She gets to meet and thrill overseas visitors who have never been in the bush, or built an outdoor fire.
"This is my dream job. I couldn't have found anything more suitable to me."
One year she had a group of 25 on board on Christmas Day. They spent it at Whakahoro, a remote settlement with a tourist lodge on the Whanganui River.
"I made an amazing champagne breakfast, and my parents came up. We had a "secret Santa" thing, so everyone got a present and they didn't miss their families too much. Then we had a full day's activities."
Some people went horse trekking. Others took off over farmland on a quad bike. Lunch was a traditional Kiwi barbecue, followed by pavlova.
After that there were more activities. Some people shot rabbits, others swam in the river. Dinner was light because everyone was still full. It was followed by a campfire where Ms Hughes taught some of the group how to toast marshmallows.
Stray passengers can choose their activities, and arrange to get on and off buses as it suits them. Sky diving, bungy jumping and bush walks were all popular, she said.
The Top Guide New Zealand competition aims to encourage adventure tourism. Ms Hughes was chosen as a competitor by judges who watched her four-minute video. People can vote for her by finding the video on the competition's Facebook page and "liking" it. She has the most votes so far.
If she is successful she'll appear on the Top Guide New Zealand travel show on Choice TV on April 4 next year.
