Tombee

I mentioned in an earlier blog that in working on the farm, I knew what hard work felt like. For three long weeks in Auckland, hard work took on a whole new meaning! My new role as labourer extrordinaire took me into unchartered territories. After making a mess of painting a wall (how I managed it I do not know), I was tasked with assisting in erecting a wall. Thankfully I really was the assistant, otherwise the whole building probably would have collapsed, and after two days of heavy lifting, a masterpiece to rival Hadrian was there for all to see. By this time, the hype surrounding the New Zealand vs Australia semi-final was in full swing and as a result of the on-field skirmishes between All Black captain Richie McCaw and Aussie fly-half Quade Cooper, ... read more

Well seeing as I haven't blogged for a few weeks due to laziness, I am having to cram as much of the last two weeks into this entry...so here goes. It was the match that to be honest I was looking forward to the most and if I had known the effect that it would have on my blood pressure, I probably would have had a few more pre-match beers to chill out. The build-up to the game was spent queuing for what felt like a week to get my face painted, and for the rest of the time in the pub...where else! I met up with Daryl and Byron (whom I had met in Wellington) for pre-match beers, Daryl proudly sporting his Scottish jersey, upholding the Celtic botherhood and myself giving him plenty of stick ... read more

I was told that Wellington was a notoriously windy city, and it was...because I had had a curry...and it was a bad one! But anyway enough about my out of control colon. It was blue skies galore as we drove into the centre of town alongside the sea and past the Westpac Stadium, where I would be heading for the game the following day. I met up with Daryl whom I had met at Heathrow all those weeks ago now, and we headed to my hostel to check-in, drop off my bag and go for some lunch and a few beers. After several hours of ploughing money into the pub trade, we decided to go and explore the sights and sounds of Wellington. We stumbled upon a small rugby pitch situated in a cosy precinct near ... read more

The previous weekend in Dunedin was spent feeling rather hungover, so I left Hastings bright and early on Friday morning for Auckland expecting to be on a ward in A&E, because I would be drinking with the Irish! However before all the shenanigans of match day began, I had the very difficult task of waking up early to contend with, as my coach to Auckland departed just after 7. In what was the longest journey so far (9 hours), we stopped in Taupo, which despite its tranquil lake and stunning hillside, looked like Blackpool minus the drunk Northerners. It was there we picked up Gav and Mike, an Irishman and a Welshman who were following their nations matches around New Zealand. Clearly they were going to struggle to be at the Welsh match in Hamilton the ... read more

As I write this I have settled back into farm life, my nemesis the bull has gone and i've been uploading my photos from the weekend...and an amazing one at that! However prior to the festivities beginning in Dunedin, I flew down to Christchurch to catch up with my cousin Joel, whom I hadn't seen since he last visited the UK several years ago. It was only a flying visit as I had an early bus to Dunedin the following morning, so hadn't the time to visit the centre of town and see the devastation left by February's earthquake. It was 8 o'clock the following morning when I boarded the bus to Dunedin, a time of day in which I have only just re-discovered after failing to adknowledge its existence during my three years at uni. ... read more

After well over a day sitting on aeroplanes and unfortunately not getting much sleep, I've finally arrived in New Zealand feeling rather dopey and indeed smelling quite rank! I was lucky enough to meet a fellow Rugby World Cup traveller and Welsh fan called Daryl at Heathrow check-in, and did what all good students do...head for the nearest pub! After a refreshing pint and a good sports related chin wag we boarded the flight to Auckland, which made a routine stop at Hong Kong (roughly half way) in order for the plane to re-fuel and to give us a chance to stretch our tired limbs. Daryl and I hung around with fellow passengers, New Zealanders Jeff and Heather, Jeff wearing possibly the winning rugby jersey in 8 weeks time, although lets hope England have something to ... read more