Michelle Waitzman was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, where she worked in TV production for almost 20 years. Between production gigs, Michelle’s natural wanderlust took her on adventures around the planet—including her first, fateful trip to New Zealand in 1998, where the down-to-earth people and breathtaking scenery won her over.

Michelle made the permanent move to Wellington in 2005 to enjoy New Zealand’s legendary great outdoors and friendly hobbits. (The hobbits, sadly, turned out to be fictional.) TV and film work was slow to come, so she seized the opportunity to pursue her writing career: Inspired by New Zealand’s passion for “tramping” (backpacking) and by her future husband, she wrote her first book, Sex in a Tent: A Wild Couple’s Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature.

Michelle currently works in communications for Education New Zealand, an organization that promotes New Zealand as an educational destination for international students. She delights in helping others make the move to New Zealand, and authoring Moon Living Abroad in New Zealand has given her the perfect outlet to do so. Many of her personal experiences have helped to shape the book, from learning the country’s “language” to figuring out how to fit into a Kiwi workplace to discerning the real New Zealand experience from the popular stereotypes. Now a New Zealand citizen, Michelle blogs about outdoor recreation, her camping adventures, and life Down Under at loveinatent.blogspot.com.