I took this photo at the All Blacks’ press conference after the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final (how I managed to gain access to the press conference is the subject of another post). It’s hung in my kitchen in the UK since then and I look at it each morning as I wait for the kettle to boil. It struck me one morning that it would be quite neat to see if I could get the photo signed and so the quest began. Continue reading →

The Outdoorsman in Rotorua is a large store selling everything you could possibly need to engage in New Zealand’s various country pursuits. It’s a fascinating place well worth a visit.

The store sells items that will more than satisfy the urban commuter looking for a warm coat or a family looking for gear to support a couple of nights camping, however a quick walk around confirms that these customer segments are but a small part of the store’s target market. In no particular order some of the lines on sale are as follows.  Continue reading →

Dunedin’s Baldwin Street claims to be the steepest street in the world with its inclination peaking at 35% towards the top. The steepness was unintentional as the local streets were laid out in a grid pattern by planners in London with no consideration for the local terrain.   Continue reading →

A beautiful sunny day in Dunedin invites an initial foray into this wonderful city. I visited Dunedin back in 2010 when, after drinking too many Speights on a Friday night, I was persuaded to captain the Welsh Leeks (the Welsh nude rugby team) against the Nude Blacks the following day (a sort of curtain-raiser before Wales’ first test against Wales at Carisbrook). Fortunately, during this return visit nobody recognises me wth my clothes on and I am able wander around unmolested.   Continue reading →

Early start this morning for the 5hrs+ journey from Christchurch to Dunedin which departs at 07:45. I’ve downloaded the audiobook version of Trevor Bentley’s ‘Pakeha Maori – The Extraordinary Story of Europeans who lived their lives as Maoris’ to help pass the time away. The fare is a bargain $22 and the journey offers great views across the Canterbury plains to snow capped mountains and later out to sea.   Continue reading →

To beat the world’s best you have to become the world’s best. And for Gatland this means moulding forty one players into a cohesive force in a matter of weeks. No trivial undertaking. So this results was huge, a downward spiral has been averted, a team with real backbone is emerging and the pressure cooker itinerary intended to ensure a test-ready Lions team is established is beginning to be vindicated.

Wile walking from downtown Christchurch back to the backpacker hostel I’m staying in I stumble across the match day Lions squad going through final preparations on a strip of public parkland outside their hotel – quite a sight. It’s “put-up or shut-up” time you can almost feel the intensity.

And so it begins, a narrow uninspiring victory against the Provincial Barbarians by a ‘just off the plane’ and apparently jet lagged Lions side. Toll stadium is ‘old school’ with a swathe of slightly too steep grass bank made treacherous in places by the previous night’s heavy rain.   Continue reading →