These things are so hard. Soo.. I'm a 26 year old New Zealander. I like adventure, literature, photography. I've just finished working my first proper job since studying and need a break from the capitalist factory. I'm interested in gardening, sustainability, low tech solutions. I love music, dancing, cooking - the different ways that people transcend themselves. I like sharing, meeting people and their diverse communities. I dislike neoliberalism and how money affects how people think about each other. I'm here to meet people who share similar interests, to learn what they have to offer, to explore a more human way of being - but mostly just to "shoot the shit". Tell me a story?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I was a student I was part of a house in New Zealand where we hosted a number of couch surfers. It was a great way to meet fellow travellers and show them our local perspective, and it seemed like these small insights were greatly appreciated. In 2012 I lived in Holland and then travelled through Europe, Morocco and India, couchsurfing in a number of places. These were easily my best experiences - meeting local people, seeing how they lived, getting insights into their cities and ways of life - so I'm back and keen for more adventure.

Interests

Sort of covered this above and below, but: travel, poetry, wilderness; humans, the ocean, fresh food; late nights, early mornings; soft light and hard truths; art in all its forms; cycling, frisbee and hacky sacks; the wind in my face; still water and a kayak; sub bass and silence; surfing; smiles and what evokes them; [and so on].

Cheesy? Well you asked...

• arts
• literature
• poetry
• photography
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• gardening
• technology
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• cycling
• backpacking
• kayaking
• surfing

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a slightly obsessive reader, but a poor watcher of films - not that I don't like them! It's just finding the time (and one that isn't shit) - you know? Boyhood was great. A Simple Man too - stuff like that. Rewatching The Sopranos - still untouchable... although Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Wire are all pretty close.
Some authors I like, in no particular order: Karl Ove Knausgaard; David Foster Wallace; Joan Didion; Vladimir Nabokov; Salman Rushdie; Donna Tartt; Murakami; Hemingway - this list is essentially endless.
My music tastes are eclectic and broad, love the classics from the Beatles to Miles Davis and Radiohead, and I guess I've been focused on electronic music recently. Off the top of my head: Nicholas Jaar, Flying Lotus, Four Tet, Stacey Pullen, Samo Sound Boy, Death Grips, Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala - plus plenty of great music from NZ. This is definitely something I can share with people.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Trekking to Machu Picchu, Kayaking in Lake Waikaremoana in NZ, Backpacking through South East Asia and South America, Living in Holland - feels like a lot of the things I've done have been pretty special - time on the road is always an adventure.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am a rookie here but more than happy to help people who are interested in New Zealand or who want to practice their English - same goes for any of the things I've listed in my interests. If I can help then always happy to lend a hand.

What I Can Share with Hosts

So many things! I know the secrets of making compost, am pretty handy with words, and editing, can give your house an energy efficiency audit (this was my last job), I can cook vegetarian food in a range of flavour profiles (mexican, indian, italian etc - not refined per se, but tasty!), I know how brooms work and once I even taught my little cousin how to ride a bike.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Laos, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand