Kia ora Couch Surf world

I am a 26 year old male from Wellington, New Zealand.
I am on my gap year and am living in central Budapest. I am based here to explore Europe! I am currently solo backpacking through Europe from August 2016.

On my last trip I explored the UK and central Europe. I explored London, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Glawgow, Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dublin. I relaxed and picked olives in Korcula, Croatia and visited Split, Zadar and Dubrovnik. I road tripped between Mostar, Sarajevo and Belgrade.

I spent 3 weeks exploring the Balkans and Eastern Europe. I watched films and partied in Bucharest, relaxed on the beach at Constanta, explored Sofia, ate pie for breakfast in Thessaloniki, trekked Halkidiki and marevelled at history and archaeology in Athens.

I have recently completed a 2 month solo backpacking trip of the Americas. I travelled through Buenos Aires and Puerto Igassu, Argentina; Colonia and Montevideo, Uruguay; Foz du Igassu, Sao Paulo and Rio, Brazil; Bogota and Medellin, Colombia; and LA and San Fransisco, USA.

I work as an Urban/Environmental Planner and am fascinated by urban forms, the history and development of cities. I am a keen cyclist (bought a bike on first day in Budapest!) and enjoy bikepacking (long distance off road cycle touring) and exploring cities by bike. I consider cycling the best way to explore a new city and to orientate myself. I enjoy surfing and spending time at the beach. I am keen to expand my horizons and meet other like minded folk.

My travel passions are trying new local foods, sampling coffee and exploring the world by bike!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Broaden horizons and meet other like minded folks. Meet locals and other travellers in South America and Europe. I wish to experience local cultures and gain an understanding of the history, traditions and festivities. Gain an insight of customs, foods and language.

Share my culture, I am a passionate Kiwi (New Zealander) and want to share a bit of the kiwi lifestyle!

Couches surfed:
Gustavo J - Buenos Aires (3 nights) June 16
Fernanda M - São Paulo (4 nights) June 16
Rafael G - Rio de Janeiro (6 nights) June/July 16
Antonio D - Rio de Janeiro (4 nights) June 16
Elton M - Rio de Janeiro (1 night) July 16
Jennifer C - Bogotá (6 nights) July 16
Jonhatan A - Medellin (3 nights) July 16
Bogi N - Bucharest (4 nights) August 16
Bernhard L - Sofia (1 night) August 16
Deyan D - Sofia (2 nights) August 16
Panagiotis K - Thessaloniki (1 night) Sept 16
Elena K - Athens (1 night) September 16
Miranda M - Cardiff (2 nights) Sep 16
Lukasz and Angie - Manchester (2 nights) Sep 16
Stuart B - Glasgow (2 nights) Oct 16
Kut - Aberdeen (1 night) Oct 16
Andrea DM - Aberdeen (2 nights) Oct 16
Razvan - Edinburgh (3 nights) Oct 16
Kinga S - Krakow (3 nights) Nov 16
Ewa & Maciek - Wroclaw (3 nights) Nov 16
Lisa & Paco - Berlin (5 nights) Nov 16
Blanka V - Prague (2 nights) Nov 16
Silvie M - Prague (2 nights) Nov 16

CS events participated:
- Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Budapest, Hungary
- Cardiff, UK

Interests

Meeting locals and travellers alike, cycling, cycle touring, bikepacking, photography, travel photography, surfing, fishing, coffee, eating out, street food, fancy food, relaxing with friends (old and new alike) reading, craft beer and sharing stories.

• culture
• diy
• beer
• coffee
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• eating out
• cycling
• fishing
• surfing

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - NZ music mainly, Six60, Fat Freddy's Drop, Shapeshifter, Kora, Black Seeds, Ladi 6
Movies - Thrillers, Sports Documentaries, Shoot em ups, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Boy , What we do in the shadows, Hunt for the wilder people
Books - Travel guides, trashy thriller novels, cycle books and guides, Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, Architecture and Planning books
Board and card games - Settlers of Catan, Monopoly, Uno and Agricola

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

2 months solo backpacking in South America - literally 'blew my mind'

New Zealand is the first country to see the 'first light of the new day'. Spent new years eve at Rhythm and Vines music festival in Gisborne NZ (most eastern spot in NZ). Climbed a very large hill to watch the first sun rise on a new year. I can claim to be the first in the world to see the new sun!

I have also ridden most great cycle trails in North Island of NZ. Working on South Island! Hope to do Old Ghost Road on my return to NZ.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach - english, about NZ (especially travel ideas, trekking, mtb and touring bike trails, surf spots, cafes and craft beers), surfing, bike maintenance
Learn - keen to experience local culture and history, local foods and coffee/beer
Share - good yarns (I think so anyway!) and beer, cycle culture, my love of board games!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Handy at fixing bikes and other DIY (do it yourself) maintenance/gardening/handyman tasks. I also make a pretty good espresso coffee.
I am a very proud ambassador of NZ, love sharing stories of my homeland and leaving a little bit of my culture.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Montenegro, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Hungary, New Zealand