This should be About Us really
During Christmas 2016 we moved countries .. from Auckland, New Zealand to Brisbane, Australia. Auckland is a great city to live in and so is Brisbane. We really are extremely lucky that we can choose to live in a number of the cities in this region that are all in the 'Most Livable ' cities on the planet.

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I am Kiwi married to Leanne and we have 5 kids, 4 of whom are still at home. Their age range is 26,24,22,22 and 20... and a cat. ( the cat is 13 I think ) as of 2024.
We are originally from the Western suburbs of Auckland and now are living in Forest Lake in Brisbane.
Most of my career I have been involved in Sales and Manufacturing Management. I am a Christian of New Zealand Maori and NZ European heritage, I am pretty chilled and easy going most of the time. I like cooking ( most of the time ) and I think that we are very lucky that we live at a time when there has been so much migration of different cuisines and the ingredients that go with them.
Cuisines that I love to try my hand at are BBQs, Thai stir frys, Indian, Malaysian and Thai curries, Roasts, chili beans, Chicken Tika . etc and learning new recipes as the opportunities occur.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Over the last 15 years as hosts on 'Warm Showers' (for cyclists traveling around the world), we have met some really good people and made some long lasting friends. So Couch Surfers is similar but for a wider range of travelers.

For now our kids are in the finishing years at school so apart from changing countries, it is not possible for us to travel as much as we may like to so instead we let the world come to us ! It is wonderful to meet people from other countries and cultures and our kids have gained in their knowledge of the rest of the world outside our little corner of it. And who knows - in time to come we may be able to take more time and travel overseas and perhaps we will visit some of the friends that we have made.

People who visit with us for a while usually end up becoming almost like part of our extended family and for that reason we almost never accept one night stays. Stays of 2 to 4 nights is usual and maybe up to 5 to 7 and of course always dependent on our circumstances and if you are staying a bit longer we are happy if you 'pitch in' where you can because we are a busy house. We will always try to make the stay for our guests as welcoming and enjoyable as we can.

Interests

Being a true black Kiwi I always follow our national sport of Rugby but not as much now as I once used to. I play social Field Hockey as do a couple of our kids.
I like finding out about other people and their culture and history and I enjoy discussions with interesting people - I have an opinion on just about everything but I also make an effort to respect and consider the viewpoints of others.

• culture
• cooking
• recipes
• coffee
• board games
• traveling
• socializing
• fishing
• sports
• rugby
• field hockey
• business
• history
• upcycling
• strategy
• sales
• zero waste
• continual improvment

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies - Bladerunner, Catch me if you can, No way out, Gettysburg, Groundhog Day, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Back to the Future, The Notebook, Black Book, The Beast.. and others but I am pretty picky when it comes to movies.
Books - I read the Bible .. a little bit every day. Also Tim Ferris's Tribe of Mentors highly recommended.
Music - ABBA!, Exile, Chris Tomlinson, Keith Green, Daniel Amos, Amy Grant, Chuck Girard, Leon Patillo, Silverwind, Katie Melua, Eva Cassidy...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Thinking .... ahhh we have 5 kids, does that count ?
Moving to Brisbane.

Teach, Learn, Share

Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
1 Peter 4:9

Favorite line from a movie.
" I've seen things you people wouldn't believe… Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those… moments… will be lost in time, …like tears… in… rain"
( Bladerunner - replicant Roy Batty played by Rutger Hauer.)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Most probably the question should be
What Can We Share With Our Guests
A bed in a guest room or our (private) upstairs lounge room. Breakfast and Dinner usually ( and tea and coffee etc ) WIFI, Laundry facilities, a Warm Shower, Good company and intelligent conversation ( I hope that we qualify as intelligent ! ), Kids who ask lots of questions, Board games, ---a-map-or-10---- ( everyone uses Google now ), a Cat that is always hungry...
If you really like the cat you're allowed to take it with you when you leave.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Cambodia, Fiji, Malaysia, Samoa, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, New Zealand