Nick

**Please note: I have INTENTIONALLY put a tonne of info about myself in the interests of transparency and authenticity... this way you (potential person I am pet-sitting for) can accurately assess if we would be a good fit.

I am an "animal person" who grew up with Rough Collies. They were my best friends, who I would risk my life to protect. In general, New Zealanders love their pets and I certainly understand firsthand
and how precious our "pets" are to most Kiwi's.

I mean, to many of us, they are basically family!.. Ergo, for many of you, it's good to know exactly who you're dealing with when you are looking for someone to look after your family members**


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Hi there, my name is Nick, for the past four years and a bit (since October the 1st 2019, until February the 1st 2024) I was on a kind of 'Conservation work OE', travelling in South America working to set up and plan new conservation projects in Ecuador, both on the Pacific coast and also in Amazonia.

I was born and grew up in New Zealand (Wellington) but am a hybrid (Spanish/Kiwi)and early this year I am travelling NZ while getting ready to move to Spain (planning to go in October) and explore that other side of my lineage and that amazing country.

While getting ready here in NZ for this move is my primary focus here, I am also working a bit online as I go.

In Ecuador, I was working with 4 local indigenous tribes (Achuar, Shiwiar, Shuar and Waorani) to start new initiatives to better protect old growth Amazonian rainforest on over 1 million hectares of legally designated indigenous territories.

I was also working with local community leaders to fund an animal rescue centre and two private conservation reserves totalling 3000 hectares.

The photo of me with the Wooly monkeys was taken at said Animal rescue centre/zoo. It's a place called 'Yanacocha' on the outskirts of the small (50K people) Ecuadorian city of Puyo in the Pastaza province.

That's the dominant female in my lap... apparently she basically never does that (trusts/climbs on new volunteers!) But like I say here, I'm an animal person...

The photo of me with the injured seabird was taken in October last year. She's a blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii). I found her sick, weak and unable to fly washed up on the shores of Ecuador's Machallila National Park on their Pacific coast (near Ayampe). I used my intuition and knowledge of bird biology to help keep her calm, carried her gently/carefully back to my hostel where I put her in some thick bushes safely in the garden that night with some water and fish. I then took her (in a basket with a towel over it, via taxi) to a local vet that takes injured protected wildlife the next morning.

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Wilderness conservation is my greatest love and passion in life and why am I here on Earth/my life purpose (with a focus on marine and rainforest ecosystems). Canopy ecology, coral reef + kelp forest ecology, OLD GROWTH/"primary" temperate and tropical rainforest ecology + conservation, lowland primary forest remnants, orchids, carnivorous plants, Gibbons, Giant otters, Cheetahs, Mountain Tapirs and Sengis are some of my specific areas of interest within this area.

Definitely a massive "nature person" and an "animal person".

I get on well with all animals and am highly intuitive so can pick up basic (and in some cases, more advanced) cuesand signals when they try to communicate a need/desire, problem, feeling, emotion to people...

For example, with dogs, I know what "the bow" ("I want to play"), displaying open belly ("I submit! Don't attack"... or just "rub my tummy") and jumping up excitedly and putting front paws on humans waist/chest means (= polite greeting in dog language... though obviously still to be gently discouraged in most cases even if it's polite "dog etiquette!)

I hold a BSc in Environmental studies from Victoria University of Wellington, though I am planning to do more university study.

Orcas are my favourite species and I plan to do research on wild Orca ecology in Southern Chile later this decade (masters or PhD).

Interests include:

Travel!! (a NEED for me... I'm not a total gypsy/nomad... I need a "home base" too but I need to be travelling at least 5 months of each year).

Also: Philosophy/spirituality/personal development/psychology, inventing (I am in the early stages of working on one to commercialize atm), history, geography, writing, photography, wilderness exploration, comedy.

To relax, my top two favourite activities are reading good books (both fiction and non fiction... between the ages of 10 and 13 in the late 90's, I was reading 60 a year on average!!) and strategy PC games... then good films + good music... but I'm more of an outside person and try to limit my screentime in general (digital minimalism). I don't use social media. I used to, but cut it out and am happier for it...

I'm into conscious, mindful living in general which includes: a degree of minimalism, daily meditation, prioritizing good sleep and exercise, quality over quantity in friendships and a clean, healthy diet and lifestyle in general (no drugs, cigarettes, alcohol etc). In general, I try to eat as naturally and clean as possible but I'm flexible at the same time when travelling and not obsessive about it 😅.

I lean slightly introverted but am quite grounded and confident (not shy). Being a highly empathic and intuitive person, I can 'read the room' pretty well, am polite and respectful and pretty easy to get along with in general.

If you live correctly and with an exciting purpose to make the world a better place (see the Okinawan/Japanese concept of 'Ikigai') you are permanently "high on life" anyway.

Life is a journey and there are always new things to learn and explore.

Random facts about me:

1. I recently discovered what will likely prove to be the 2nd or 3rd largest population of Giant Otters in South America on the 700,000 hectare territory of the Achuar tribe in the remote far Eastern Amazon of Ecuador. Planning to organise an expedition to study it in the future 😁🤩

2. I am a fraternal twin and quite tall (6"3/191 cm). INFP-A in Myer's Briggs.

My favourite colours are green and blue and my favourite weather is rain; 🌧 (helps growing up in Wellington...lol...) but I like sunshine too ☀️.

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Honestly? I was born and raised here and my Kiwi family has been in the lower North Island since 1841... but I'm mostly (like 75%) Spanish by ancestry and while I LOVE NZ, I am a bicultural person with another side of my culture and heritage as yet - more or less (I've done lots of research) - completely unknown to me.

So for the next chapter of my life I am moving to Spain indefinitely to connect with my roots there and experience their beautiful country and culture. But I'll come back to NZ to visit each year.

For this reason, I am really just back here in New Zealand right now to have a little break/holiday while I tie up loose ends and prepare for this permanent move to Spain (Galicia, specifically).

I anticipate having everything wrapped up and being ready to go in about 10 - 11 months from now (today = 06/02/24) and in that time it would be good to spend some time housesitting but ideally pet sitting in the greater Wellington region. Also open to basically anywhere else in NZ that I feel/think could work but most of my sits so far have ended up being in the Lower North Island where my roots are and (apparently) I vibe with the land/people best (!). North of Auckland, Hauraki Gulf + Marlborough sounds would be cool to explore too.

Definitely open to housesitting/petsitting stays in more quiet suburbs/rural towns near the bush and/or sea also, however.

I have lived and worked on a NZ farm before and really loved it but I grew up in freaking paradise small town NZ suburbia with both old growth forest and the sea 3 minutes walk from home so either environment (rural or more nature based, quiet, suburbia) works.

I'm a kind hearted, benevolent person with good morals and a strong work ethic. Honest, kind, responsible/accountable, cooperative and mature. Physically, I am fit and in good shape and enjoy manual labour... keeping a tidy home and happy/healthy pets fall under this category. In addition, to be honest, just working with animals makes me happy in general.

An intellectual but also have really good EQ (Emotional intelligence) + easy going and laid back. Lively, active and original sense of humour (core aspect of the Kiwi national character!).

Great with animals in particular (makes sense right, given my profession?). Love them all.

If you want a recent reference from a family I stayed with in the Ecuadorian Amazon, I can get you one.

Cheers