CURRENT MISSION

Travel. And to give NZ its own space programme. One day.

ABOUT ME

I had never left NZ until I was 25, and had pretty much spent my life simply existing. Then in Feb 2013 I left for a year of travelling, finally doing what I had always wanted to, and now I have the bug. I have it bad. I'd describe myself as laid back, funny, loving, and awesome. Laid back because I roll with the punches with effortless grace and panache. Funny, because when your name is Barney in a generation of kids growing up with Barney the dinosaur, you'd better develop a way of getting people to like you, FAST. Loving because everyone is beautiful...it's just a matter of bringing that out in them. Maybe not everyone. But I'll give new friends a good chance. Awesome because I do all of the above and still manage to look THIS GOOD. I'm joking, I'm not horribly vain.

PHILOSOPHY

I try to treat everyone I meet with an open mind and am normally interested to hear their opinions.

The only thing I'm intolerant of is intolerance. Seriously, if you're racist, homophobic, sexist, or generally bigoted, you and I probably won't get on. :)

You can learn something from everyone.

I believe that as a species, we should take measures to minimise our impact on the planet and make an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, and that we can reduce our populations to a manageable level.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

**RECENT EDIT** To those who need a place to stay, I'm genuinely far too busy right now (Aug 2014 - forseeable future) to host, really. I do my walking tour daily, work fulltime in a bank, and have a partner to amuse as well. If you are exceptionally desperate or are compelled to stay with me for whatever reason, send a request, but don't expect it to be a guarantee that you can.

I host, I've surfed (and will again), I meet CS'ers that I can't host for space and show them the city, I go to events... yeah, I participate.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Awesome! Couchsurfers are, by nature, wonderful people. I think I'll have CS'ers till I'm an old man. Or WWOOFers.

Interests

I'm interested in everything! I want to live my life to the fullest and make the most out of every day that I'm alive. Some things I want to get into once I have a normal life in Welly again: Archery, Horse Riding, Guitar, Yachting, Tramping (you probably call it hiking), Diving, Blacksmithy, Rock Climbing, Poetry and Writing, Bush Survival, and about a dozen other things.

• writing
• poetry
• festivals
• walking
• yachting
• traveling
• survival
• guitar
• cycling
• hiking
• scuba diving
• rock climbing
• archery
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I'll read and watch anything that moves/inspires/makes me laugh.
Movies:
Shaun Of The Dead (My adolescence)
300
Anything Dark Knight (c'mon, he's the goddamn Batman)
Not big on romance/dramas. TV I try and avoid except for GoT and Archer.
Music... supremely eclectic. I love Rock, the Blues, Rap, RnB, classical, old stuff... I don't have much time for metal or anything too angsty/emo. Sometimes, but not much.
Books... I like a pretty wide range. I'm trying to read a lot of real life stuff right now... Sun Tzu's The Art Of War is to my left right now, but I also like Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Stephen King is good, normally.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I remember one time, I had to defend myself against three drunk guys. That was interesting. Jumping off Petone pier at 4 am, skinnydipping, waking up in the morning and knowing that I'm sincerely happy.

Travelwise, there are some incredible sights around the west coast of NZ (South Island). The Haast Pass has some amazing scenery, as well as Punikaiki, the Pancake Rocks. LA's Venice Beach is pretty amazing. Doing mountain biking in Wales because it was the only way off a mountain with a bike. No helmet or experience. Sunrise festival. Spending 5 or so days in Porto, one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been. Parasailing in Fethihye. Hitching with total strangers at all hours of the day and night across nations. Discovering the awe-inspiring feats of ancient civilisations.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a pretty big believer in reciprocity. I like to think that when I Couchsurf with someone, they come away with something, as well as me.

Great thing that always helps me with my mood or motivation: Looking up a motivational quote.

I can always help with some issues, I'm a great listener and shoulder to lean on, and give out great advice, if I do say so myself.

I also think I'm pretty good at motivating people, and I can always inspire new ideas and tactics. I also boil down useful lessons into a few short sentences, and get to the crux of an issue.
Best piece of advice my father ever gave me: Get a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life!

In terms of practical skills I can teach you, I can teach self defense, and I plan to be learning bush survival and a plethora of other skills as well.

I'd love to learn French, Spanish, or Portuguese, as well as entrepreneurial stuff, anything! I am a blank page.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand