Kirsty & Aidan

Travel information

We are currently

Description

Hey there : )
We are Aidan and Kirsty, both from Scotland and currently travelling around the South Island of New Zealand. Through Workaway, we’re looking to learn about the Kiwi way of life, immerse ourselves in some culture and experience lots of new and exciting things!

Between us we have quite a lot of hobbies and interests. We both love being in the mountains and like to go on big hikes whenever we can – collectively I think we’ve climbed nearly 100 of Scotland’s highest peaks. We also enjoy bouldering and outdoor sport climbing and we’ve done a fair bit of this around NZ in the glorious sunshine. We like to explore remote and beautiful places and often take our tent on multi-day adventures. We’re both fit and try to run, swim and workout when we can – Aidan is currently working on his handstands and Kirsty is working on her pull-ups.

Aidan is a keen cyclist and has taken his bike over seas to Ireland and The Netherlands. As well as cycling, Aidan’s passions lie in the kitchen where he loves to cook and bake, whether it’s putting a twist on a classic week night meal or going big for special occasions: he’s always cooking up something good. In his spare time, Aidan likes to tinker with many projects around the house and in the garden – if he’s not servicing his car, bike, computer or anything else that can be disassembled, then he’s over at his grandparents’ laying decks and tending to their large gardens. He’s also not bad with a sewing machine and has a knack for thrifting and altering his own clothes (Kirsty’s too sometimes). He appreciates a good pub quiz and usually attends one weekly with his friends at a local pub.

Kirsty is an accomplished Highland Dancer, having competed at the highest level for years all across the UK and represented Scotland at festivals abroad. She is also passionate about travelling and meeting cool new people – so far she’s travelled around a large part of Central Europe. She recently spent some time here on the West Coast learning to surf and really enjoyed it after overcoming the initial challenge. On a more creative note, she is trying to learn how to play guitar whenever there are some strings around.

Interests

Pets

Events & social

Movies & TV

Photography

Yoga / Wellness

Team sports

Self development

Van life

DIY & crafts

Music

Books

Plant care

Animals

Water sports

Dancing

Beach

Outdoor activities

Cooking & food

Gardening

Sustainability

Technology

Winter sports

Nature

Mountain

Hiking

Fitness

Camping

Cycling

Adventure sports

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
German: Beginner
Spanish: Beginner

More details about my language interests
We're very open minded and would be interested in learning about pretty much any language. Kirsty would like to improve her Spanish and Aidan is keen to pick that up too. We would also both love to learn Scottish Gaelic (but that might need to wait until we're back in Scotland). Whilst in New Zealand, it would be cool to learn some Te Reo Maori! In terms of teaching a language, we can offer help with English (written and verbal) - Kirsty used to be a proof-reader and is very proficient. We'd also be more than happy to share some Scottish words and phrases!

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Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn

We're interested in:  

Life at a Farmstay

Animal Care

Charity Work

Languages

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Some knowledge of:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

General Maintenance

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Eco Projects

Helping around the house

Hospitality/Tourism

House & pet sitting

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Able to teach about:  

Helping with Computers/ Internet

More details about your skills

We are both flexible and adaptable individuals, with a variety of transferrable skills between us.
Kirsty studied Environmental Geoscience at university and has a broad range of knowledge about the Earth and Earth’s processes. Areas of study include: geology, environmental geochemistry, oceanography, astronomy, meteorology, renewable energy, environmental problems and pollution, hydrogeology, geophysics, climate modelling, soil and water processes, atmospheric systems, ecology, marine biogeochemistry, and global environmental change. She enjoys doing field research and lab work – for her final dissertation she created a project to monitor the effect of historic mine waste drainage on the wider environment and waterways, in a farming region in Scotland.
Aidan is currently undertaking an apprenticeship back home, which involves him attending university to study Data Science and AI; and also working as a Data Analyst for the NHS. He has taken a year out from this to come and travel NZ, but his tech/computer skills are travelling with him.
Kirsty is passionate about environmental protection and restoration. She has previously been involved with conservation work: removing invasive weed species, restoring paths and digging drainage ditches. She enjoys working outdoors, close to nature and is happy to get stuck-in, no matter the weather.
Aidan is an avid gardener, acting as caretaker for his grandparents properties for the past 9 years, as well as cultivating a healthy crop of vegetables year round. His favourite veg is the hardy kale which he can rotate for around 6 months of the year (a rarity for anything other than root vegetables in the cold, wet Scottish climate).
Kirsty grew up on a farmstead in the Scottish countryside and has spent many weekends in the forest with her Dad, gathering firewood: splitting, transporting and stacking it. When the weather is dry, she also helps around the garden and field, painting fences, cutting grass and caring for a small patch of fruit trees. Her family have a Scottish Deerhound (a very large breed of dog) called Harris, who she loves spending time with. Kirsty is comfortable being around animals, having grown up with large dogs in the family; and having horses, donkeys, sheep, cows and deer as neighbours.
Despite coming from a petless household (due to his Mum’s allergies), Aidan adores animals of all shapes and sizes. He regularly cat sits for his friends and is always up for walkies with a dog whenever he gets the chance.
In the recent months before heading to New Zealand, Aidan’s attention turned to the construction of his families three log cabins in the Scottish Highlands. He has loved getting involved in the outdoor work, helping to dig the foundations, pour concrete pads and build the timber frames. He’s good at problem solving and has a very hands-on, practical approach.
With regards to work experience, Kirsty has undertaken a variety of roles, including: bartender, festival steward, ski lift operator, hostel assistant, FOH team member at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, sales person at an outdoor retailer, and general assistant at Fast Freeze Refrigeration Ltd. She therefore has a wide variety of applicable skills that have been acquired from previous jobs.

Age

26 & 25

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  no

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  Special dietary requirements
  no