CURRENT MISSION to move positively throughout the world while being open to adventures as they happen and savouring all of the special moments along the way

ABOUT ME I’m Amy...a free spirited person who loves new adventures and deep connections.

I quickly and easily connect with people who have open hearts and open minds. I love having meaningful conversations with people, finding out about their passions and what they really want for their life. I am clean, honest, trustworthy, mature, fun and energetic. I love meeting and interacting with people who are embracing their true, authentic selves. I enjoy traveling slowly, so I can truly get to know a place and it's people. I enjoy finding interesting nooks and crannies of a place. I love to walk the back streets and discover what's really happening. I feel like this is where I find most of the charm of a place. I usually have a lot of energy, make jokes, like to laugh and am positive and fun. Now that I'm traveling slowly, I also try to plan quieter times every once in a while. I enjoy breathing deeply and therefore prefer clean, scent free and smoke free air. :) I love food and have been a vegetarian for most of my life. I also love good wine, cocktails and coffee. :) I take a lot of photos. haha!

PHILOSOPHY I try to move energetically and positively through the world and experience as much of it as possible.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING I like to meet new, interesting people and CS is a great way to do that. I also like to attend local events and go to off-the-beaten-path places, so connecting with locals is a great way to do this!

I like sharing information about where I live and helping people have a great, unique experience in our area. I'm a natural tour guide, so I'd be happy to accompany you around if I'm available.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE I've met great people and had great experiences through Couchsurfing. I have made good friends through some of my Couchsurfing experiences. I’ve experienced amazing hospitality from so many of my hosts! It’s been a great example for me and helps me be a better host.

Interests

I have a wide range of interests including: TRAVEL!, dancing (mostly salsa, bachata, cumbia, chacha, merengue), yoga, museums, good conversation, pottery, art, coffee, theatre, ballet, photography, wine, animals and most outdoor activities (paddle-boarding, SCUBA diving, canyoning, kayaking, tramping, skiing, blading, biking, white-water rafting, hang-gliding, sky-diving).

• animals
• arts
• concerts
• dancing
• salsa dancing
• ballet dancing
• environment
• cooking
• vegetarian
• vegan
• yoga
• traveling
• pottery
• live music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• kayaking
• scuba diving
• skiing
• sup
• salsa
• paddleboarding
• stand up paddle
• bachata dancing

Music, Movies, and Books

I read mostly non-fiction and enjoy reading about international travel and peoples' experiences in other cultures.

I prefer independent, art house films.

I enjoy listening to and going to concerts for most types of music: latin, classical, rock, folk, world, country, jazz, etc!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've had some amazing experiences throughout my travels so far and most of them had to do with the people involved in the situations....

* paragliding in the Himalayas

* 10 day Vipassana silent meditation course

* snorkeling with whale sharks in Honduras

* skydiving with views of the mountains, glacier and ocean in New Zealand

* staying with a friend at her family home and experiencing where she grew up on a small island in Estonia...

* playing an impromptu game of 'tag' with wonderful and inquisitive children in Lesotho....

* spending time with a woman in Lesotho and sharing a meal together in her hut as we shared about our different cultural worlds....

* non-verbally communicating with people from around the world

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm open to learning new things and I'm specifically trying to learn more about yoga, healing, meditation, energy work and Spanish right now.

I could teach Latin dancing, yoga, meditation and cooking.

I love to hear and share great travel stories and experiences. There is so much to learn through meeting our 'neighbors'.

Unfortunately, this group is not the same as it used to be and so I’m rarely logged in. If you’re a woman feel free to reach out to me via HostASister.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Fun, jokes, cooking, interesting stories, deep and thought provoking conversation, energy, enthusiasm, inspiration

** TIPS FOR TRAVELING AROUND NEW ZEALAND AND ROTORUA **

Possible discount websites-
Bookme.co.nz
Grabone.co.nz
Backpacker Deals
Viator
Get Your Guide

Watch a NZ film while you’re in NZ!

Walks around Rotorua--
Kuirau Park and Ohinemutu
Government Gardens (free daily walking tour)
Lakefront Geothermal area
Central Lakefront

Walk/Mountain bike at Redwood Forest...and/or do the tree walk (very cool at night!)

Speaking of night time....look for glow worms! They are all over NZ and only in a few other places in the world!

Visit The Living Maori Village or do a Maori cultural evening experience/dinner (I would try Mitai).

Tour the Lakes--
Blue Lake (walk around is about 1 ½ hours)
Past Blue Lake there is a lookout to see Blue and Green Lakes with information sign
Drive past Green Lake to a lookout over Lake Tarawera with information sign
Lake Tarawera beach/Landing Café
On the drive back, turn right to Lake Okareka (there are beaches and a few nice, short walks)

Toward Mount Maunganui/Tauranga, there is another large lake, Lake Rotoiti
Past this, there is the Kaituna River, where there’s a nice, short bush walk where you can watch the whitewater rafters come down the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. Ideally be at lookout area around 12:30pm.
Go rafting here! It's awesome!!

Favorite restaurants—
Thursday night street market
Poco
Ciabatta
Black Label Barbeque (it's delicious and owned by my friends! Veg options!)
Good Eastern (good veg options)
Okere Falls Store (good veg options) (double check their hours/Facebook page)
El Zapata Mexicano (good veg options)
Pig & Whistle (it used to be the old police station!)
Eastwood Cafe near the Redwoods

If you’re heading toward Whakatane, I definitely recommend the walk toTarawera Falls. It’s 1 of my favourite places in the area. Unfortunately, there are have some incidences here, so it's difficult for me to recommend anymore. :(

On the way to Taupo, you can do the 2 hour roundtrip hike up Rainbow Mountain (don’t do if it’s wet as it would be very slippery). Just after the hike's parking lot is the turnoff (on the left) to go to a natural hot pool river and waterfall called Kerosene Creek. Nowadays, there are usually quite a few tourists here, but still be careful with leaving valuables in your vehicle, etc.

My favourite, affordable place for hot pools is Waikite Valley. You can also camp there and then you get longer access hours to the pools. They have a great walk here that goes to an incredible and large area where the water is bubbling up from the ground!

Wai-O-Tapu is beautiful and a very special place to see a lot of geothermal activity.

Continuing toward Taupo, stop to view Huka Falls. It’s best to view it earlier in the day when it’s in the sunlight.

Enjoy!

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niue, Norway, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Swaziland, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Guatemala, Mexico, New Zealand, United States