After my mom dropped me off at DTW I flew to San Francisco, then Auckland, where I had a six hour layover. My thirty some hours of travel finally ended in Wellington on Thursday afternoon.
I took a short video on the flight in because I was amazed at the number of windmills. After a couple days in the city we discovered that Wellington definitely deserves its nickname of "Windy Welly"
A couple hours after landing we had our first training session, because jet lag ain't nothin. It was about 45 degrees, with thirty mile an hour winds, and rain. But we still enjoyed a very upbeat and energetic session before breaking early to practice the haka for Saturday.
We spent Friday morning and afternoon shopping and exploring Miramar, Kilbirnie, and Cuba Street before heading to the Hurricanes Jaguares Super Rugby Match Friday night. After a footrace at the end of practice Thursday night Thomas and I were selected to represent Poneke in a half-time relay race between local clubs.
It was a bit surreal running around in the pro stadium the day after arriving in Wellington.
Saturday: Match for the Misiluni Memorial Shield
Our very first match is played on Kilbirnie 1 (rare for U-21's) and for a memorial shield of a dedicated clubman who died of cancer several years ago.
Doing a haka is not very common, and not just a tool to "hype up" before a game. We do a haka before our match to honor the occasion.
This saturday is also Old Timer's Day so Thomas and I hang out with the rest of the colts in the clubhouse after the match as olde boys keep dropping off pitchers at our table. After watching the caps presentation Thomas and I head home and get to bed around 7:30. Maybe jet lag is real.
Sunday:
Thomas and I get our first lift in at the Poneke clubhouse gym, which is nearly always empty and has a nice speaker so we've been pretty pleased with that. I manage to get to Mass on my second try as I arrived just as the morning one ended.
A shoutout to Scotty and his Great Dane Walter who hosted us for our first week. We found this gem in Scott's living room which I believe was taken during a trip to the States.
We complain about climbing the hill up to Scott's place but the views of Wellington are incredible.
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