Hi guys. I'm Nicolas. At the beggining of 2017, I left France to discover New Zealand and its unique and amazing culture and landscapes. Perhaps the best experience of my life. I could never thank NZ people enough for their honesty, generosity and welcome. If you want to believe again in life, you must try it.
Before my trip in New Zealand, I worked in Lyon as engineer for joinery manufacturers for 3 years. Now, I work close to Strasbourg for a manufacturer which produce rolling shutters.
As a person I'm open-minded, optimistic and I try to keep smiling as much as possible.
I love sport, I often practise tennis (and even some tournaments but not professionnal 😅) and I watch a lot of tournaments on TV. My favourite player is Roger Federer obviously, a technically perfect player ;) but I respect Rafael Nadal as well, cause he's a real warrior. His bravery is an example for everybody.
Moreover, I love hiking and nothing (except NZ) is better for that French Riviera hinterland !

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like travelling through the world, and I hope I could meet people from foreign countries in order to travel without leaving my city. Maybe, someone of you will give me an idea of country to visit and appreciate.
I was in New Zealand for 7 months until mid August 2017 to travel and work in this beautiful country, to learn about the culture and to improve my English level as well. It's a big challenge everyday, lots of things were so different even though it remains a western-styled country mixed with old fashioned philosophy. There are surprises all the time too, and I love that. I remember what a woman told me during my first week there and it's definitely true : "You'll love it and you'll want to come back".

Interests

- Tennis : I love playing tournaments and I currently try to ensure my current ranking (30)
- Pétanque : a french sport, especially recognized and appreciated in the South of France
- Drawing
- Tramping (the best places for that are Nice backcountry and New Zealand volcanoes)
- Meeting people from around the world
- Traveling in foreign countries to discover beautiful landscapes, new cultures, and different food in order to have good memories

• italian food
• traveling
• hiking
• tennis
• geography
• meeting new people
• petanque

Music, Movies, and Books

My favourite movies are Flight, Gran Torino, Just Like Heaven or Matrix saga so far. I like action movies, but if you have good actors (Matt Damon, Damian Lewis,...) or actress (Scarlett Johansson, Claire Danes), no matter the genre, impossible to finish disappointed.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I don't like to brag :P
With some friends from Nice, we like hiking deeply during just one day, along the littoral or through the mountains. Our goals are seeing memorable landscapes and exceeding our limits.
Our record is 70 km covered in one day (approximately ten hours including breaks for drinking, eating,...
But it was before my trip in New Zealand. Now, I think having survived the flight to reach NZ (22 hours : 6 + 16...) can be considered as a great performance. Especially when one of your biggest fear is catching a plane. But to face fear is the only suitable way in order to keep improving in life. And the result was the discovery of (perhaps) the best place to live on Earth.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can give you a tennis lesson if you want to try this fabulous sport.

What I Can Share with Hosts

When I'm at home, I have some matresses for my guests. It's easy to sleep in very well. And I have a car to move around.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, New Zealand, Switzerland