Hi, my name is Bob Born and raised in Switzerland and I am a travel addict....
I've been self employed for whole life and always like to be independent entrepreneur I had a import & export company this give me the opportunity to travel and work in many countries. Then 1997 we finally decided to immigrate to New Zealand ,,Bay of Islands,, Kerikeri it's a beautiful place to settle down and be retired and enjoy the rest of my live.

Lived in this body for 61 years, against all odds. Does age really matter? I enjoy laughing and sharing, am an incurable romantic and optimist, happy healthy and young in body and at heart. "You're as old as you feel"
You're never too old to follow your dreams whatever they may be. (Julie S

It’s always difficult to describe oneself, Here's my,,short version of my life story,, I have lived in Europe and travelled extensively abroad, Asia the Middle East and South Africa have all been home at some stage in my life.
Adventure travel & Animals special Dogs are my passions. First I have to say! We have 3 – 5 rescue Dogs in the house so if you don’t like or love dogs then please don’t ask me.
My dogs are my family, they live in the house with us, and they sit on the couch with us. They are treated with respect, not tied outside to a doghouse.
But if you love dogs and animals you are very welcome.

Backpacking & Hitchhiking around this amazing planet has been my prime objective for the majority of my time in this body. I love this world & the very interesting people on it. As a fellow human I find our reality nonsensically amusing. It is always fascinating to meet new people & experience the many amazing adventures that occur as I explore this expanding Universe!

Current Mission
If you haven't figured it out, I'm a dog and Animal lover and I am out and proud and try to do my best to support Animal welfare.Where would Mankind be without the companionship of our beloved animals.We have decided to devote our time to help the lives of animals.
I am an animal lover my whole life and I've long been a supporter of many animal wefare organisation and Animal rescue shelter around the the world like ASPCA and its affiliate organizations.
Animals are suffering every minute, every day. We are also decent and compassionate people dedicated to speaking out for animals. All animals should be treated with compassion, love and respect. We need people to get that message out. Please joint us: we only ask you: we need your voice:,, Friends for the love of Animals,,
I have an album with photos of my rescue dogs, so you can check 'em out!
More Info on Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=727653190

Flickr link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/friends-for-the-love-of-animals/sets/

Youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LoveOfAnimals?feature=mhee#p/u/17/2Rlp7pwEny4

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING
So often in my earlier days 1970 of travel on the road I met with people, sometimes got taken in and always the cards and numbers exchanged but somehow it seem to pass with time.
This concept seems to promise so much. I am hoping to be able to meet new people and see things from their point of view.
I live in one of the most beautiful places of New Zealand and feel it is a duty to share this experience with good people.

I have travelled by myself overseas many time and know how grateful I have been when locals have given up their time to meet me. I love nature and enjoy getting out and showing people whether friends or strangers the beautiful places in and around Bay of island. I also enjoy learning about the backgrounds of people I meet, their culture, what their country is like and their travel stories! I also want to help travellers to save some money on Accommodation as in future I would also like to travel as a Couchsurfing and make few good new friends.

I am new to this, but have always made room for people looking for a place to stay at home since I live in New Zealand. If you come to New Zealand I always love meeting people from different walks of life. I am a laid-back easygoing guy who loves meeting new people and having good times :)
I want to share the beautiful location I'm blessed to live in.
Bay of Islands Kerikeri Welcomes you.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
None as yet... but anxious to give it a go!
Recently I pick up two girls ,,Backpacking,, gives them a place to stay and they told me of this site and I thought 'what an awesome idea'!
I am traveling to Europe in July for a few months. I would like to couchsurf when I travel in Europe and when I return, offer the favour back - possibly even make some friends who would like to come to New Zealand and visit! I'd like to give back by opening my home up to other travellers that wish to experience my area.
I liked the real travel spirit, just go and be surprised along the way. I am new to have couch surfed myself but I have had several people stay with me. It is a great experience to learn and meet different people of different cultures!

Interests

When I am travelling I am always looking to absorb some of the culture and 'feel' of a place rather than just 'seeing the sites'
Hanging out with friends but most of all being on an adventure and discovering new places and people.
I love the outdoors, Travelling, Fishing, boating, yachting, Sky diving, sea kayaking, Paragliding, bushwalking, mountain climbing, swimming, snorkelling, Yoga Meditation, Moving Image, Photography also enjoy motorbikes and vintage Cars, Gardening, Growing my own vegies, Catching my own fish,
I am interested in learning about other cultures, religions and societies around the world.
I have a passion for clean and renewable energy, solar, wind etc.

• photography
• animal welfare
• cooking
• indian food
• mexican food
• flying
• yachting
• boating
• animal care
• music
• country music
• rock music
• fishing
• scuba diving
• paragliding
• swimming
• travelling
• sky diving
• documentary
• new countries
• mountain climbing
• spicy food
• thai food
• snorkelling
• classic cars
• sea kayaking
• motorbikes
• wild animals
• dog training
• bushwalking
• classic rock
• video production
• yoga meditation
• moving image

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy discovering new music and new genres. I might be mostly focussed on rock, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying some classical or world music as well. I generally like the older type of music. Dire Straits is my all time favorite.
I like the older style of rock Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Hendrix, Dire Straits, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, Relaxing meditation musik, etc but also enjoy other styles of music.

I enjoy watching documentaries special Animals as I seem to pick up more information visually. Hemingway, Robinson Crusoe novel by Daniel Defoe, Lawrence, Miller,Fitzgerald, Lonely Planet,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There are so Many! Lived in this body for 61 years, against all odds. This is a truly difficult question!
One of my danger trips was with a VW Campervan 1978 the Trans-Sahara Highway from Algeria to Ivory Cost west of Africa with a blond girlfriend.

Two years later I was working in Egypt I make on other trip with a Doctor from the Red Cross from Cairo to Tripoli – Cap Town spend about one year on the road and was a very interesting full of adventure and given me a special and unique opportunity to become acquainted with all sorts of animals in Africa and now I tray to help and protect this wild Animals.

The best times of my life were travelling around the globe in my 20s & 30s living for a year in India few months in a Yoga Ashram in Goa going up early by sunrise and practice satsang Meditation and learning about spiritual sensuality of life Eat, Meditate, and make Love.

Riding a old motorbike a ,,1950 Indian,, from Goa to Nepal.
I've crawled through caves in Australian ,,coober paddy, spending 6 month looking for Opals or digging for Gold in Kalgoorlie. Sleeping on the ,,Ayers Rock,, experience the sunrise in the outback over the Olgas.

Living on a small island off the west coast of Africa for a month with only a few things like ,,Robinson Crusoe,, my favourite book of all time!

Gone scuba diving with sharks in gorgeous tropical waters.

Survived an aircraft crash in India Bombay 1982 and still I love to fly and tried to make my PPL license.

On one time I got in a storm hurricane on the coast of Sardinia with my wind surfer lost my rig and drifted of see for 3 days I was surviving this ordeal to. And they are only a few adventures and live experience. I always tell my self I’m a lucky guy. And all of these things and far more could easily be the most amazing on any given day.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share a place to sleep, a hot meal and some laughs.
We live in an old house ,,Cottage,, full of old wooden beams and high ceilings. We have a spare room with the use of a bathroom next door to it .We do have bed linen and blankets and towels etc, but if you have sleeping bags etc its less work for us!

We don’t smoke and we would rather you didn’t smoke on the property, more because of the fire hazard.

I have to share all of my stories, my passions and I m always really glad to give to persons a point of view on New Zealand, and I'm just enthusiastic to learn as much as I can from the people I'm gonna meet.
I can share my time, advice and even take people on day trips on my day off.
I believe one can learn something from almost anybody else.

Philosophy
Ask myself every morning "If today is the last day of my life, would I do what I'm about to do today?"

Make use of every minute. Prove you are living in this world. Try to do something meaningful!
Mainly 'treat others the way you'd like to be treated'.

People who don't travel cannot have a global view; all they see is what's in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live. Martin Yan

Just have fun, be yourself and make everyone else around you have a good time!
The older I get, the less I care about what others think of me. Therefore, the older I get, the more I enjoy life. (Michael M.,

My life experience is that I am learning to become more of myself rather than comparing myself with other people. Other people expect me to be like them, but I don't want to be like them, I just want to be more of myself and to accept myself for who I am. (Sharon N

As people we tend to worry about the things that don’t matter and forget about the things that do. Enjoy your life to the fullest because you never know when it’s going to end. So smile more, love more and enjoy more. Dueling on things just ruins your life. Being mad or upset with others for things they have done is just a waste of your energy. You can’t change the past or the mistakes. You can only change your future. (Brian A.)

You're never too old to follow your dreams whatever they may be. (Julie S

What I Can Share with Hosts

My company and life experiences!
Travelling cyclists, Motorbike are most welcome for 1 or 2 nights and we will consider other requests. Please no smokers. You will have a double bed (all bedding supplied) we have a large BBQ/entertainment area, which is where we spend most of our time. Secure parking in my property with a good workshop area if you need to fix something.

The area around Kerikeri is great if you are into the outdoor life with plenty of cafes and art galleries to choose from. If you want a bit more nightlife then Paihia is half hour drive away. Would be willing to show people around the sights if it fits in with my work.

Countries I’ve Visited

Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chad, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland