Travel Highs and Lows, plus Day 1 in New Zealand

Well the long travel day is over, but not without some excitement. After getting to Los Angeles, I learned that one of my hotels in New Zealand had closed. They emailed me to say ‘sorry for the inconvenience but we have permanently closed the motel’. Wow! Really? The day I am flying to New Zealand, I now have to wonder about where to find a motel during the 3rd largest sporting event in the world (after the Olympics and Soccer World Cup). Luckily I found one in the same town that had a vacancy so no worries. A few hours later I learned that my upgrade to First Class on the LA to Sydney flight was accepted!

THE FLIGHT

Okay, so First Class was great for the 14+ hour flight. Got a solid 8 hours of sleep and the first class seat/bed was perfect. Had a great view of the full moon as I lay in bed over the Pacific Ocean at 38,000 feet. Nice smooth flight. The descent into Sydney at dawn was amazing, the dramatic coastline, the beautiful harbor, the famous bridge and Opera House were stunning at sunrise. Made me wish the Storm Rugby club was coming to Sydney in June 2012 for Bingham and not Manchester.

THE LAYOVER

I had a 5 hour layover in Sydney, and after settling in with a coffee and my iPad, I spotted a familiar face from Phoenix. Simon, the former assistant coach of my rugby club before I began was there at the table with Steve Parli, head coach of the Phoenix Rugby Club (div 2). I went over and said hello and we all grabbed a table and started talking. We made new friends with two guys, Andy and Adam, from Ireland, who were also on their way to Auckland for Rugby World Cup. We all passed the time telling rugby stories, having quite a few beers, and comparing travel plans. We agreed to try to meet up at some of the matches where we crossed paths. The first being this evening, Sunday 9/11/11 Ireland vs USA.

DAY 1 IN NZ

So after arriving in Auckland I passed through immigration and customs, got my rental car and headed south to Hamilton. I stayed at a chain hotel, nothing fancy, but very adequate. I awoke this morning to a good Kiwi breakfast of fresh ham, eggs, baked beans and hot cakes. Fresh fruit and muffins as well great coffee.

I then hit the road for the 3-4 hr drive to New Plymouth. The route was spectacular, rolling green hills with lots of dairy cows, sheep and goats. I then passed through some mountain passes, and suddenly was along the coast. A light rain just added to the scene. As i descended into the Taranaki region, the clouds obscured the iconic volcano that backdrops the city. A few kilometers outside of town is a small beach town called Oakura and that is where my motel is for the next 5 nights. As I checked in the owner informed me the room was not yet ready, so he invited me into the main house and brewed a pot of great tasting coffee for me. We sat and discussed rugby, the US and American football.

Twenty minutes later my room was ready. He asked how I was getting to the game? When I said that I was going to drive and park in town and walk the few miles to the stadium he said no. He had a stadium rd pass, and he would drive me and drop me off then pick me up after the match. When I said that was not necessary he said that of course it is. First off, Kiwis are extremely nice people, and secondly, by getting the ride I would be free to enjoy a beer or two at the match and enjoy my world cup experience without worries of driving back. Well, its 3.5 hours to game time and I’m not sure yet if I will accept the offer but chances are I will.

THE RUGBY

The World Cup is underway and some exciting matches have been played in the first 2 days. France had a tough test against Japan, Scotland barely survived a challenge from Romania, and England won UGLY against Argentina. Plenty of other matches are complete as well. Look at the standings by using the link on the upper left margin.

Tonight it is USA vs Ireland and it looks to be messy, wet and very windy! I'll brave the elements and maybe share some thoughts later tonight. Watch the game in the US on Sunday (1pm ET) on NBC in HD!!

A few photos from my drive earlier today are below.