The Time We Slept in a Forest, and What It Taught Us About Planning

I’m the kind of person who plans. It helps keep my anxiety in check, and over the years, it’s served me well. I rehearse interviews until they feel effortless. When I interviewed at Xero, someone told me, “That was the best interview I’ve ever been part of.”

I didn’t get the job. But I kept going. Eventually, someone gave me a shot.

Still, planning doesn’t always guarantee perfection.

Like that time at Oktoberfest in Munich.

We’d spent the day in the beer tents, and I had the bright idea to leave the city early and stay in a small town closer to the airport, about 70 km away. Smart, right? Except I forgot one small detail: checking for accommodation.

There wasn’t any.

Town after town — nothing. Eventually, we found ourselves roaming a random German village, tired and out of options. We saw a chateau up on a hill and made for it, but on the way we heard yelling in the street and decided to steer clear.

I spotted a forest. I looked at my wife, Cassandra, and said, “Let’s just head in there and get off the road.”

So, there we were. No torches. Just darkness and trees. We had a tent, but I didn’t set it up. We laid it down for cushioning and used the fly for cover. Before we went to sleep, I asked, “What wild animals do they have in Germany?” Cassandra shrugged.

So I did what any sensible man would do. I peed around the tent to mark our territory.

“What are you doing?” she asked.
“It’ll scare off the animals,” I replied.

Somehow, that night in the forest — which we later realised sat right on the edge of the actual Black Forest — we had one of the best sleeps of our whole trip. Fitting, really. The same forest that inspired tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel, and here we were, having wandered a little too deep ourselves.

We woke up the next morning to a massive pile of animal poo just outside our “perimeter.” I have no idea what it was from. But it felt like a fitting end to a night we’ll never forget.

That story’s stayed with me. And in an unexpected way, it’s become part of how I approach the work we’re doing now.

We’ve taken over the whānau flooring business here in the Far North. We’re still growing. Still learning. But that forest sleep reminds me why planning matters, and why things go better when you think ahead, check the details, and stay ready for the unexpected.

We don’t always get it perfect. But we try.

Planning helps us stay ready and avoid pitfalls. But you can’t plan for everything — sometimes you need to stay open, adapt on the fly, and that’s when the best moments happen, like the best sleep of a trip.

Want a floor you can actually relax on?

We’d love to help. Even better if it doesn’t involve wild animals.