Rugby

The big sports in New Zealand are a lot different than in the US - rugby, cricket, and netball (for girls). Netball, sadly, was invented in the US, basically as an easier version of basketball for girls. There is no backboard and no dribbling. It is very weird, once they catch the ball they can take about 2 steps and then they have to pass it. And the defender can't really move either, so if they get the ball under the basket they can take their time setting up their shot. It is huge over here, the biggest sport for girls, but we don't think it can compare to regular basketball (go UMD terps!). Cricket is also huge, every day when I walk home from work there are games being played in the park, and kids at the beach play pick up games of cricket. But we do not see the allure. So, rugby is our new sport of choice.
There are a lot of different leagues for rugby and all of the rules are slightly different. There is the NZ Rugby Union (from which the All Blacks are picked), and the National Rugby League. Auckland has teams in both leagues; there is also a completely different game called Sevens (less players, shorter game, faster). All very confusing when you first start paying attention. But now it is All Blacks season, and that is something that everyone has heard of! The All Blacks are basically just the New Zealand national team, they dominated world competition from the early 1900s and became one of the most feared teams. So NZers have very high expectations for the All Blacks. They have games vs other countries (leading up to the 2011 World Cup), and also the Tri Nations tournament (NZ, Australia, and South Africa) which happens every year. We have tickets for the NZ vs. Australia game later in July.
So far there have been 3 All Blacks games - the first two were against France. The ABs lost the first game, to the outrage of the entire country, but won the second game, as well as their third game against Italy. However, the team is not looking too good so far this year, and the games will be much harder in the Tri Nations tournament. Lots of injuries to the veterans, so there are a lot of young rookies, and there have been a lot of rookie mistakes (dropped balls, interceptions, etc). Eric and I are used to having bad home teams (i.e. Redskins, Orioles), but we are hoping the ABs will turn things around and have a great season!
We were pretty excited before the season started to see the French rugby team working out in our gym. Everyone at the gym was trying to play it cool. Although if we had all known that the French team would beat the ABs later that week we all may not have been so nice! One of the most well known guys on the French team, Sebastian Chabal, is called the beast, and he is an incredible player. Very intimidating, even in the gym!
I also just got back from Christchurch, and the ABs were staying in my hotel! I saw the coach and a few players, although none of Eric's favorites. He told me I better carry around paper and a sharpie in case I saw Ma'a Nonu, one of his favorites, but I didn't see 'the predator', as Eric has dubbed him. Here he is doing the haka:
The haka is a traditional Maori dance. There are several different types performed for various reasons: for amusement, as a welcome, or to acknowledge achievements or occasions. The war haka was originally performed by warriors before battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. The ABs use the 'Ka Mate' haka, which was composed by Te Rauparaha, a Maori chief, to commemorate his escape from death. We are looking forward to seeing the haka in person at the game later this winter. Here is a picture of the ABs performing the haka:
The other big rugby news has involved the French team. Last week, after their test match in Wellington, one of the French team members was apparently jumped by 4-5 guys and beaten up on his way back to the hotel from a bar. He broke a bone in his eye socket and was flown home to France, and would miss the next few games for France. NZers were very upset - NZ is usually a safe place, and NZ is set to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. This did not bode well for their ability to be a great host and protect all of the athletes. The Wellington police made this case a top priority and vowed to find and prosecute the offenders. About 5 days later, the truth comes out after video was released showing the French rugby player returning to the hotel with a few teammates and girls, safe and sound. He had gotten drunk, fallen in his hotel room, and made up the whole story!! Darn those French!
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/62823/french-rugby-player-lied-about-assault
We're off to Moorea in French Polynesia later this week, so we'll post some great pictures from that when we get back!

Rotorua - May 29-June 1, 2009

We had a 3 day weekend for the Queen's Birthday, so we decided to head down to Rotorua. In the week before we left, Eric's coworkers were telling him that Kiwis call Rotorua 'Roto-vegas'. Even Bradley Cooper is talking about Roto-Vegas in TV ads for his new movie The Hangover. But we couldn't quite get a good reason for the name, so we were very curious as we drove down. Would there be gambling? Tons of neon signs? Crazy partiers? As we drove into town, it looked like any other small New Zealand town (except for the sulphur smell and steam rising from small parks). During our stay we did see a few stores/restaurants with Vegas in the name - Bikes Vegas, Vegas Pizza...but we still did not see any real connection. After we got back, we did a bit of research, and basically it is called Roto-vegas because there are a lot of tour buses and tourist attractions (and extreme sports during the summer). Mmmm, yeah, so someone who has never been to the real Las Vegas somehow got that name to stick but it is far from accurate!
We spent most of the weekend outside despite the cold weather. The first day was pretty overcast but we walked around Lake Rotorua on their Natural Heritage Trail. The shoreline has a lot of geothermal activity, including bubbling mud pools, hot springs, and craters from historic geothermal explosions.
That night it got down below freezing. Most houses/hostels in NZ don't have central heating, just space heaters. Our hostel had a space heater in the main room but not in our room - we were freezing! But the next day was beautiful with clear blue skies, and we headed out to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. In the morning we saw the geyser erupt (they put some soap down it to start it off, just like for Old Faithful at Yellowstone).
Then we walked around the park. Here's Eric in front of the Devil's Bath, which was a crazy green color.The main attraction is the Champagne Pool, the largest hot spring in the area. It is 65m in diameter and 62m deep, and was formed over 700 yrs ago by a hydrothermal eruption. It had some beautiful colors in it, when the steam wasn't blocking the view.
There were numerous craters throughout the park, some with boiling mud in the bottom.
That afternoon we hiked to the summit at Rainbow Mountain Scenic Reserve. It had started to get cloudy and by the time we got to the top the wind was really whipping. The views were great though.
And on the way down we passed by the Rainbow Lakes...That night we stopped to buy a space heater (we needed one for our apt anyway) so that we wouldn't freeze that night. Rotorua has some good restaurants and bars (and they have heat!) so we tried a few different places. Eric had one of his favorite fish and chip meals to date at a small cafe. On our last day we drove around some of the other lakes in the area, including Lake Tarawera, doing a quick hike (and snagging some good ice cream) before heading home.
We had a great weekend (why can't all weekends be 3 days long??) but were happy to be back in our apartment in Auckland where it is nice and warm!

May 2009

We have been very bad about updating the blog lately! We are settling into Auckland nicely, Eric has been busy with his temp job with ASB and I have been busy in the kitchen trying out new recipes - I am almost becoming a decent cook! We also just got a George Forman and had some great kabobs the other night. But on the weekends, we have been trying out new restaurants and hiking in parks near Auckland. It is getting colder but highs are still almost to 60 during the day.
A few weeks ago they had a lights display at the Auckland Town Hall. This candy themed display was our favorite, but they also had a sand castle, a waterfall, a view from space, and many more.
One afternoon we did a quick hike to the top of Mount Eden to take in the views of the city. The crater from the old volcano is pretty big - there are a lot of these old volcanoes around Auckland.
We have done a few more hikes in the Waitakere Ranges, which is quickly becoming our favorite park near Auckland. A lot of the hikes are through the coastal rainforest area, full of ferns, palms, and kauri trees. Also more birdlife than either of us have ever seen. The only bad part is that since this is a rainforest and we are in the rainy season, it gets really muddy! Makes going downhill a bit tough at time, but the hikes are great regardless.
And the views of the coastline can't be beat. We've been lucky to have some good weekend weather lately. And we're looking forward to all of our upcoming travels over the next few months!