I am a New Zealander living in Vancouver, Canada since 2013 to pursue my PhD in Geography - which I just finished! I prefer to take the relaxed road through life, taking time to absorb and appreciate the people I meet and places I find myself.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm here because I believe that an authentic experience of place requires real relationships with the people that call those places home. I want to experience more than the guide-book veiled window into a new culture; to meet people that live, love, work and play in that place is to begin to really know it. Couchsurfing can offer this experience for the inquisitive traveler, and more.

On the other end, hosting or meeting up with Couchsurfers at home offers me the chance to explore and reinvigorate my engagement with that home, where-ever it may be.

Interests

I like to think that anything has the potential to interest me, but in the spirit of listing:

Classic and retro cars (I own a 1979 Isuzu Gemini Coupe currently in storage back in NZ),

Mountain biking and snowboarding (can't argue with living in the PNW!),

Film - especially foreign and independent (I spend way too much money at the international film festival every year),

Illustration and contemporary art (I try to draw, but I'm not that good - I try to buy art when I can afford it though!),

Social sciences, culture and technology,

Getting out of the house and exploring the world's amazing natural and cultural phenomena!

• contemporary art
• beer
• reading
• geography
• social science
• mountain biking
• illustration
• classic cars

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I am a fan of all sorts of music, and am always on the lookout for new and awesome artists/bands. I'm listening to anything from many genre's but tend to lean towards hip-hop, post-rock, classical and electronic (current obsession with dark synthwave).

Movies: I studied film in undergrad so have a lasting love of festival, foreign and indie film - always on the lookout for weird stuff. Festival season is one of my favourite times of the year.

Books: The last few years I've been mostly swamped by academic texts but try to keep up with fiction reading to keep me sane. As I write this I'm on a reread of A Confederacy of Dunces - a classic American novel if there ever was one. I'm also a big fan of graphic novels and (try to) collect illustration and picture books!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

After all this travel I still get excited at the prospect of exploring the coastlines at home. Exploring the bush and beaches of natural New Zealand with a great group of friends is a fantastic experience!

Teach, Learn, Share

I may be able to share with you something you didn't know about classic cars, New Zealand, and human geography.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Great chats and a friendly outlook.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Mexico, New Zealand

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