CURRENT MISSION

To make it easier for people to see the world as economically as possible.

ABOUT ME

Helpful, caring, strictly non-smoking couple. Clean, modern, well-kept home often with 2 spare bedrooms and separate bathroom. 40 minutes south from airport, which makes it an hour from auckland city.

NOTE- public transport here from airport can be difficult ie. short shuttle bus ride from airport to PAPATOETOE train station then train South to our town. Alternatively, I can collect you in my taxi, from the airport, at a cost of $80.

Getting to and from ours to the city is about an hour train ride - plenty in the morning (commuter trains) but the last direct train to our town leaves the city at 7pm. The last train from Auckland to the next nearest town to ours (Papakura) leaves at 10pm, we would have to pick you up from there, at a cost of $40.

However, most Intercity/Naked Bus coaches etc stop nearby (Bombay cost $18) to/from Auckland city and the rest of the country.

PHILOSOPHY

We want to die young - but as late in life as possible!

We also abide by the philosophy of 'Pay it Forward'. This means that when someone does something kind for you, instead of rewarding that person for their kindness, (i.e. paying them back) you just thank them and then do something kind for another person (paying it forward.) That way,the kindness spreads around the world quicker.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We will ensure couchsurfers have a clean, safe place to stay. We have experience of travelling New Zealand - done it several times so have a wealth of knowledge on where to go and what to see. We would appreciate a contribution towards food for those staying a few days.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We were born and raised in the UK and travelled parts of Europe on a Honda Goldwing motorcycle. We have lived in NZ for the past 5 years. We have been on a Round the World trip and all our 3 sons have done a RTW. Our youngest son and his girlfriend are currently on their travels in the USA/Canada. When we did our trip there was no couchsurfing, so we mainly stayed in Youth Hostels and Backpackers and enjoyed meeting other people who had chosen to opt out of the rat race for a year or two and see the world through their own eyes.

A couple of years back we backpacked around NZ for 3 months. Enjoyed being 20 again!!

Interests

Playing badminton - crap at it but love it to bits. Building our taxi business (Driving Miss Daisy). Outdoor adventure and travelling. Roller coasters and theme parks. Photography. New Zealand culture and history. Music. Reading. Baking. Gardening. Sewing.

• culture
• performing arts
• photography
• dining
• baking
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• skydiving
• badminton
• business
• history
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: World's Fastest Indian. G I Blues.
Music: Elvis Presley, virtually everything else. Just don't understand Rap (we thought that was what you do with a gift) or garage (that's where you park your car)
Books: Dan Brown, Harry Potter!!! A stone for Danny Fisher (from which was born the Elvis film 'King Creole')

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1)Birth of our 3 sons and helping them grow into independent young men and travel the world.
2)Tongariro Crossing, THE best one day walk in the world. 3)screaming our heads off doing a bungy jump - you just cannot come to NZ and not do one! Also jumping from the Auckland Sky Tower - twice, and doing a tandem skydive in Taupo.
4) Seeing Elvis Presley perform live - six times - in 1974, 1975 and 1976.
5) Visiting Graceland and Memphis for our Silver Wedding anniversary, and exchanging new wedding rings in front of Elvis' gold record for 'Can't help falling in love', which is the song we had played when we got married.
6) Fostering children and knowing that they had some love and normality in their lives for a short while.

Teach, Learn, Share

We have had exchange students who loved learning to bake and make Yorkshire Puddings!

I would like to learn better conversational French.

We like to share our experiences with other travellers.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand

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