CURRENT MISSION

To host travellers in our home and help them explore this beautiful country.

ABOUT ME

Originally from Michigan in the USA, I spent 7 years living in the Czech Republic, Germany and South Korea before moving to New Zealand in February 2010 with my wife Shannon. We have 2 children - a 4 year-old girl named Olivia and a 2 year-old boy named Isaac. Due to our busy schedules, we can't always host people, but we are able to make exceptions from time to time.

PHILOSOPHY

Don't just think outside the box, live outside it! You'll be amazed at the people and experiences you'll meet along the way.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My wife Shannon and I love hosting travellers. It's a great way to make new friends and learn more about places in the world that we have yet to visit.

Couchsurfing also gives us the opportunity to share the things with which God has blessed us. A lot of travellers we host have been on the road for 6 months or more and our joy comes from letting them be part of our family while they are with us, whether that means giving them a home-cooked meal, playing a few board games or just letting them chill out with our kids.

Interests

My big passion at the moment is boardgames and my friends and I often get together to play. I can guarantee that it won't be Monopoly or Risk, but instead something you may have never heard of. Lords of Waterdeep anyone?

Aside from that, I am a very visual person. I love photography, I love Photoshop and I love taking pictures and experimenting with them. I also love to travel, I read heaps of books and I'm always keen to meet new people and trade stories.

• books
• photography
• walking
• board games
• traveling
• opera
• boxing

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC

Rock, Alternative, Jazz, Hip Hop, Punk - a little of everything really, depends on my mood, but some of my favourite bands are Audio Adrenaline, Goo Goo Dolls, Black-Eyed Peas and Casting Crowns.

MOVIES

Empire of the Sun, Leap of Faith, Guardians of the Galaxy, About Time, 50 First Dates, Gachi Boy, Paradise Now, Turtles Can Fly, Stranger Than Fiction

BOOKS

I love to read! Some of my favorite books include: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Otherland Series by Tad Williams, Temple by Matthew Reilly, plus almost anything by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child.

I also love to read Christopher Brookmyre, Stephen King, James Rollins, China Mieville, Christopher Moore, Kathy Reichs, Dean Koontz, Neil Gaiman, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Shel Silverstein, and the list just goes on...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I couldn't pick just one, so I made a list of some of my favorite experiences (in no particular order):
Standing in Sydney and looking across the harbour at the Opera House.
Exploring the inside of a giant iron Buddha in Kamakura, Japan.
Walking across the Charles Bridge in the middle of the night in Prague.
Traveling across the Czech Republic by train.
Seeing the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. (It's smaller than you think!)
Standing on the top of the Eiffel tower at night.
Crossing the border into North Korea while still inside the infamous T2 building at the DMZ.
Walking barefoot over fiery hot coals with 600 other people to break the Guiness World Record for firewalking.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've studied a lot about photography and Photoshop. I can give you a ton of practical tips about taking better photos as well as teach you some photographic theory, beginning with ISO (film speed), shutter speed and aperture.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Fiji, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States

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