Hi! We are a couple of kiwis (Sam and Emily) travelling around our country for a while.

Sam is a student who's finished studying and is on the road for a while! I'm originally from Nelson, though I've spent the last 6 years or so in Wellington. I love the outdoors, tramping, travelling, adventuring and exploring. Other hobbies include playing guitar, though I'm getting a bit rusty and need an excuse to brush up. I also love good food and eating it (I can make pancakes). I studied geology so I also love collecting rocks, and I have practiced Seido Karate for 12 years. I'm keen on environmentalism and on doing the right thing. I'm pretty laid back, and I love meeting new people!

Emily loves to explore and meet new people, a condition inherited from a roving family in her youth. She enjoys histories, stories, and mysteries. She enjoys walking and checking out the native flora and fauna. Hobbies include reading, eating, walking, and learning.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on a road trip with my partner Emily, and the two of us are looking for some places to stay while travelling around. We are travelling because we want to see some more of our home country before we get bogged down with jobs etc, and we want to couchsurf for the same reasons.

Interests

• environment
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• geology
• eating
• outdoors
• karate
• tramping

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm into new stuff like Alt-J, The Temper Trap, Carivan Palace, Manu Chao, and The Phoenix Foundation. I'm also keen on old stuff like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Cat Stevens. I'm pretty open minded and keen to hear new stuff.

I've got a massive movie back-log going on right now, but I'm especially keen on Star Wars, and anything out of Studio Ghibli.

I'm into reading though I haven't found much time to read lately! Recent reads include The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafón) which is an awesome read, and The King Killer Chronicles (Patrick Rothfuss). On a drier note I'm currently reading Prosperity Without Growth (Tim Jackson).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent 9 weeks in remote Papua New Guinea collecting rocks for my studies! PNG is pretty violent, and there were a bunch of mosquito-borne diseases we weren't keen on catching. Picture us wading through creeks and rain forest in the boiling hot, hammering rocks with our entourage of local guides!

Teach, Learn, Share

If you have any rocks you would like to know more about, or if you think there might be a fault line on your property, I'm happy to take a look!

I love sharing food, foody ideas, cooking, etc.

I'd like to learn a bit more about sustainable living, gardening, and environmental best-practice. I'm always keen to have a hearty enviro-political-social discussion, but perhaps you want to steer clear of these!

I say I'm learning Spanish and Italian, but really that's just aspirational - I'd love to learn but I haven't made the time yet! I learned rudimentary Spanish 3 years back when I went to South America, and I have made zero progress on Italian. But I'd love to learn!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love playing guitar, though I need to brush up! I'd love to share what I know or learn something new.

I also love making and sharing good food! Particular foody interests of mine right now are pancakes, cheese (of any kind), creamy mushrooms on toast, home-made awesome burgers, creamy vege pie (it's good), vege lasagne. I eat meat but I love making awesome vege food.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Cambodia, Chile, Ecuador, France, Ireland, Italy, Papua New Guinea, Peru, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland, New Zealand