Kia ora! Hello everyone :)

I am from New Zealand and am living in Austria currently. I love exploring. As well as Austria and NZ I have lived in the USA, and England. I enjoy living in new places and navigating new environments. I think meeting new people is one of the most valuable things we can do. It is an opportunity to learn from others and also to teach; it helps me understand and be tolerant of others and also helps me learn about myself. Travellers are intrinsically so interesting! I find they are always open-minded and honest people; always willing to share as well.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Once or twice a year I usually have time to explore around me and that is why I have joined Couchsurfing. I want to meet you and see your home and hopefully one day I can return the favor! It is a privilege to be invited into someone's home and you will find I am respectful and generous.

Depending on when you read this I may have a place for you to stay in the mountains in Tirol! If you like skiing or snowboarding then you must come visit - or come visit anyway and have some laughs with me. I have been a guide here in the summer so I know a few beautiful places to visit. It'll be fun :)

Interests

Learning, learning, learning. I love the process of learning. If a skill is 'useless' then it's even more appealing to learn. I put learning at the top of this segment because the rest of my interests, my identity, stems from learning.

I started playing bass in high school and picked up a guitar when I spent a year in California. Now I travel everywhere with it.

I lived in Yosemite National park in California for the summer of 2015 and learnt to rock climb there. I love the feeling of climbing and of being high - it is absolutely exhilarating. I don't think there is a more genuine and good group of people than climbers.

Mountains: they are magnificent and imposing. From a distance they are the ultimate meditative experience. Up close, they make me feel alive. They personify our goals. They are humbling: I love what they do to people.

As a child I made a point of learning quirky skills and I have dabbled with the diabolo, juggling balls, a kendama and contact juggling.

• singing
• juggling
• guitar
• rock climbing
• mountains
• exploring
• learning

Music, Movies, and Books

Reggae music is my roots. When I was a growing up I played in a reggae band and we did quite well for ourselves.

Now I listen to a broad range of music from reggae to rock to jazz to filthy hip-hop! I haven't got into Classical yet but am willing to give it a try.

Favorite book of all time has to be the Dice man. It is about a successful but unhappy psychiatrist who starts destroying his identity by rolling dice. It really makes you think. Can't recommend it enough. Other honourable mentions would be 'the Gentleman in Moscow' (a finely written masterpiece) and 11 minutes (love vs lust: controversial!).

I don't have a clear favourite movie but two stand outs for me would be two of Guy Ritchie's first movies: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. I love the English accent and the witty sayings.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My all time highlight was climbing Royal Arches in Yosemite Valley, California. It was a big day, 15 pitches up and 11 rappels down and there were three of us climbing, so it was always going to take a while. However, many things went wrong and slowed us down. We had planned to take 8 hours on the climb but instead it took 17 hours. It was still a fantastic day.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach, learn and share! Three important words.

I hope to teach and learn from each person I meet on Couch surfing. I'm more than happy to share and teach about my times travelling, rock climbing, playing guitar. But more importantly, I hope to share my ideas with you and and I hope you will share your own back to me, We can teach and learn together. These are what create interesting conversations after all!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I hope you will enjoy having me stay. I repeat: it is an absolute privilege to stay in someone's house and I will do everything I can to ensure that you also have a good time. It is only a success if we both enjoy our time. I am sure we will share the great memories that come from it.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States