I am exploring Scandinavia hunting for trolls, wilderness and traces of viking ancestors. Ultimately I am looking for a new home perhaps in Norway or Sweden. The next two months will be spent getting a feel for the major cities and hopefully finding a spot to nestle in.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am interested in meeting people from different countries and sharing what I enjoy most about the area I live in.

When I am traveling I like to meet locals and experience a connection that goes a bit deeper than just seeing the tourist sites.

Interests

Outdoors, hiking, swimming (rivers and ocean), snowboarding, surfing, tennis, mountain biking, art, philosophy, fantasy, science, self sustainability, board games, vegetarianism, music and trying new things. Currently learning fire spinning and yoga!

• birds
• arts
• beauty
• cooking
• wine
• yoga
• board games
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• live music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• skiing
• snowboarding
• tennis
• swimming
• science
• beaches
• rivers
• reading books

Music, Movies, and Books

I prefer artsy movies with social commentary but am also a fan of good fantasy, sci-fi or horror.

I read a range of books from philosophy and sociology to fantasy and mythology.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

To mark the end of last year I walked across New Zealand's largest mountain range in the North Island.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would like to learn the basics of any other language and foreign cooking.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Friendly company, interesting conversation, help around home? I have made Devonshire Scones before and cooked the odd Pavalova.

I could teach you a bit about New Zealand, where to find hobbits, Kiwi slang and how to catch eels in the creek.

WHAT I CAN SHARE WITH GUESTS

We live in an area that has a wide variety of natural beauty.

The Tararua Mountain Range is on our back doorstep. It has many different hiking tracks for various abilities. The ski mountain Ruapehu is 3 hours drive, snow only in winter. About a 45 minute drive to Castlepoint beach which has a good surf spot. There are some good mountain bike tracks within 45 minutes drive.

The home is a large farm house 15 minutes North of Masterton. We live on a quiet sheep and beef farm that backs onto a river. There is a section of native bush on the property, we get a lot of native birds on the property (Tui, Kereru, Fantail, Pukeko and the occasional parrot), there are eels in our creek!

The town is very small, has one good place for live music (some of NZ's big musicians play here) and there are a few country fairs around. We are half an hour from a great NZ wine region and 1.5 hour drive to the capital, Wellington (NZ's best city).

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden