******** I've embraced the nomadic lifestyle so I'm not able to host at the moment. I've gone on a round the world trip June-December 2016, another trip in South, Central and North America Mar-Oct 2017, and now Europe and Asia July 2018-February 2019. Always keen to meet new people and share experiences while on my travel. Hope to resume hosting when I'm back in NZ! ***********

ABOUT ME

Hey there! I am an easy going person, who enjoys exploring the world- to be able to experience new places, cultures, food and adventures. I have also really enjoyed the experience of being able to meet diverse new friends, where everyone has their own life stories and travel adventures to share.

I have caught the travel bug, so I am continually looking for my next trip! I lived in the UK (London and Leicester) for a couple of years (2009-2011), and have backpacked around most of Europe. Since being back in NZ, I do try to explore more of beautiful NZ (you know how you tend not to visit your own backyard, but I'm trying to change that), so I can be just as much a "tourist" as you are. When travelling, I like to tick off the tourist attractions, but also enjoy just wandering (and sometimes getting lost) to really get to know a place and hopefully get off the tourist track. Sometimes I think that I have a fascination for the mundane eg. beautiful sunsets, spontaneous events, street art and weird sculptures- it's sometimes the little things that make a trip memorable for me! And of course the friendly locals and fellow travellers I meet really influence the impression of the trip.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I will no longer host Couchsurfers who have not accumulated positive references by HOSTING first. Still happy to meet up for a coffee or drink though.

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Have hosted several Couchsurfers in Auckland, and occasionally make an appearance at the weekly Auckland CS drinks on Wednesdays. Have met several friends through random (unplanned) CS events while I was travelling, and also done a few road trips with others on CS.

I really enjoy meeting people and listening to their stories. The concept of meeting CS hosts when I'm travelling lets me not just see the sights of places I visit, but also get to know the local culture and lifestyle.

Since I have moved back to NZ after living in Europe for a few years, I am always keen to join fellow travellers in discovering more of Auckland and NZ (I have a car and can usually show Couchsurfers around on weekends). Weekend road trips that I will be interested in:
Whangarei glow worm cave
Tauranga & Mt Maunganui
Sunrise over Gisborne/East Cape
Short hiking trips

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Hosted:
Sally from the UK (Oct 2015)
Jasna and Sandra (Mar 2015)
Patrick from France (Feb 2015)
Billy and Nolwenn from USA/France (Feb 2015)
Roberto from Cuba/Spain (Dec 2014)
Jack from England (August 2014)
Jasna and Katya from Slovenia (July 2014 & Jasna again Feb 2015)
Pam from Italy (who became my flatmate Feb-May 2014)
Yengin from Canada (Dec 2013 & May 2014)
Guillaume from France (Oct 2013)
Pavel from Lithuania (May 2013 and became my short-term flatmate)
Yin from Hong Kong (Mar 2013)
Felix from Birmingham/Germany (Nov 2012)
Mark from Netherlands (Oct 2012)
Antonia from Germany (Oct 2012)
Sze Ping from Singapore/Malaysia (Jul 2012)
Vimalo from Germany (Jul 2012)
Kona from USA (Jul 2012)

Surfed:
Colm in Tokyo, Japan (Nov 2016)
Rohan in San Diego, USA (June 2016)
Ryan in Tasmania, Australia (Feb 2016)
Andy in the Sunshine Coast, Australia (Oct 2015)
Tim in Wanaka NZ (Oct 2014)
Leila in Macau (May 2014)
Craig in Gyeongju, South Korea (Sep 2014)

CS Road trips:
With Flo, Lily, Claire and Judith from Wellington to Putangirua Pinnacles, Cape Pillaser and Martinborough (Oct 2014)
With Lize, Carmen, Sergio, and Pam from Auckland to Turangi for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (Apr 2014)
With Mia + others from Brisbane to Mt Warning and Cape Byron (Feb 2014)
With Saana, Caro and Francesco from Christchurch to Kaikoura (Dec 2013)
With Pablo and Lize from Christchurch to West Coast and Fox Glacier (Oct 2013)
With Guillaume, Jerome and Manpreet from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook (Apr 2013)
With Inge, Daisy and Mei Lin from Auckland to Cape Reinga(Mar 2013)

And numerous other road trips with friends. I love road trips!!!

Interests

Music, travel, history, architecture, social enjoyment of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, cider, spirits- I don't discriminate)!

• arts
• culture
• architecture
• street art
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• coffee
• drinking
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• hiking
• history
• road trips
• sightseeing
• craftbeer
• barbershop
• barbering

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Current mission to visit my 75th country...achieved October 2016.
Mission to reach my 50th country. Achieved on my birthday in April 2014!

There has been many great travel experiences- that's why I'm addicted to travelling!

Teach, Learn, Share

We are all students of life and I think we can all learn from each others' experiences, preferably over drinks!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Malaysia, New Zealand, United Kingdom