Last weekend I took a trip to the East Coast with my flatties Pip and Geoff, as well as Pip's coworker Ann and her sister Louise. The primary reason for the trip was to watch the rugby match between the national teams of New Zealand (the "All Blacks") and South Africa (the "Springboks"). The drive from Queenstown to Dunedin took about three hours and was quite scenic. We gobbled a feast of Turkish food, downed a couple beers and arrived at Carisbrook Stadium just as the pre-game rituals were starting. The stadium was packed to its capacity of 26,000, and there was a festive air to the place. Carisbrook is also known as the "House of Pain", as it affords a serious hometown advantage. Indeed, from what I heard the All Blacks have very, very rarely lost a match there.
There was much music, fanfare and flag-waving as the teams came onto the field. Then the All Blacks performed their unique version of a Maori
Haka, which is a ritualized dance that, in this case, is meant to intimidate one's opponents before a battle. The game began, and early on it looked like New Zealand was taking charge. The referee, however, was stopping play and awarding penalty kicks far more often than you'd usually see in an international rugby match. Hence, the score kept inching upwards in three-point increments, usually with the All Blacks ahead. The second half was pretty much the same thing, until South Africa scored a "try" (worth 5 points) and its conversion (2 points) in the last three minutes of the game, putting them two points ahead. NZ couldn't bring it back, and they ended up losing to the Springboks on home soil for the first time in ten years. The crowd was not happy; a thundering chorus of "BOOOOO" echoed across the stadium as hundreds and hundreds of partially full beer cans and bottles were launched onto the field, spraying beer everywhere. It was a messy sight. "Gracious in Defeat" is definitely not a phrase associated with New Zealand sports fans.
The next day we drove out to the end of the Otago Peninsula to visit a wildlife sanctuary. It was good to see the ocean again and remind myself that I am indeed living on an island, albeit a rather large one. We stood on a rocky cliff above the thundering waves, closely watching the skies, and after about ten minutes our patience was rewarded; an enormous Royal Albatross swooped out from behind a bluff and continued to glide through the air directly in front of us. It was an incredible sight. Such a majestic bird, with such an enormous wingspan. We watched it float around for a few minutes before disappearing again, but it soon returned for another fly-by. Very cool.
There was much music, fanfare and flag-waving as the teams came onto the field. Then the All Blacks performed their unique version of a Maori Haka, which is a ritualized dance that, in this case, is meant to intimidate one's opponents before a battle. The game began, and early on it looked like New Zealand was taking charge. The referee, however, was stopping play and awarding penalty kicks far more often than you'd usually see in an international rugby match. Hence, the score kept inching upwards in three-point increments, usually with the All Blacks ahead. The second half was pretty much the same thing, until South Africa scored a "try" (worth 5 points) and its conversion (2 points) in the last three minutes of the game, putting them two points ahead. NZ couldn't bring it back, and they ended up losing to the Springboks on home soil for the first time in ten years. The crowd was not happy; a thundering chorus of "BOOOOO" echoed across the stadium as hundreds and hundreds of partially full beer cans and bottles were launched onto the field, spraying beer everywhere. It was a messy sight. "Gracious in Defeat" is definitely not a phrase associated with New Zealand sports fans.
The next day we drove out to the end of the Otago Peninsula to visit a wildlife sanctuary. It was good to see the ocean again and remind myself that I am indeed living on an island, albeit a rather large one. We stood on a rocky cliff above the thundering waves, closely watching the skies, and after about ten minutes our patience was rewarded; an enormous Royal Albatross swooped out from behind a bluff and continued to glide through the air directly in front of us. It was an incredible sight. Such a majestic bird, with such an enormous wingspan. We watched it float around for a few minutes before disappearing again, but it soon returned for another fly-by. Very cool.
.jpg)
2 comments:
ALBATROSS! Rad.
Oh, I see flocks of Royal Albatrosses circling Overlook Mountain all the time.
Post a Comment