Rubgy & Rangitoto

If there is one distinctive thing about Kiwis, it is their intense passion for sports.  They follow all the English rooted strange-but-familiar sports like cricket, netball, croquet and field hockey, as well as horse racing, yacht racing, and more.  It seems no sport is too insignificant to escape their enthusiasm.  For those of you watching America's Cup during the last two weeks (if you're an American and have no idea what this is, don't feel bad), know this: when the races begin each morning production comes to a grinding halt as the entire office flocks to the big screen to watch the race. But of all the sports kiwis love to play and watch, none is more dear to their hearts than rugby, and just as many people who visit America flock to see a baseball game, so we decided to attend a rugby match on Sep 14th when the All Blacks faced off against South Africa.  

South African cheerleaders doing a traditional dance

When we found our seats in the stadium I was sure that there had to have been a mix up, as they were far too good for the price we paid for them.  We were sitting right on the center line, almost field level, and perhaps four rows from the front.  After watching the pre game Hakka, the violence began with an intensity that took me off guard.  There is something about hearing the smack of two bodies colliding in mid air only a few meters from you that makes the whole experience so much more, I don't know…visceral.  I managed to get a few decent pictures of the action when it came towards our side of the field. 

The scrum!

In the end the All Blacks walked away victors by a comfortable margin.  They haven't lost a game this season, and apparently that's not uncommon!

The following day we decided to explore another of the Hauraki Gulf islands, Rangitoto.  This is the volcanic cone island that you can see from nearly every beach in Auckland - undoubtedly you've seen it if you've seen any of our photos.  After spending so much time staring at it, it would have been a shame not to check it out. So after disembarking from the ferry we started the trek and were treated to some nice views of the harbor and city along the way to the summit.  The views from the top were what we've come to expect from NZ: gorgeous water view panoramas.  After soaking them in we started a side trip to the lava caves which were pretty awesome, and as Kayleigh was stumbling through the darkness she found a pair of Ray Bans someone apparently without a flashlight had dropped.  No one reported them missing, so she claimed them as the "spoils of war".  

Land Ho!

Oh, and go Team New Zealand!