For those who aren't up to speed...results of the RWC FINAL! And some other stuff...

The view from our room

A new opportunity for Shannon at Council had her focused intently on what it would take for Nelson to deliver 4 matches of FIFA (Federation Internationale Football Association) U20 tournament games in 2015 - NZ won the bid to host the cup. If anyone would have asked me what I would be doing for work in NZ, I can tell you that budgeting for sports tournaments would not have been at the top of my list. However, after experiencing all that went into RWC in Nelson, I have gained a huge appreciation for everything it takes to deliver these events…yes, right down to the budget – the foundation. That piece of work kept me busy well into Friday afternoon, and then, the weekend was once again upon us.

We headed over to Kat and Jeff’s for a good old Kiwi barbie with the crew. It was delicious and relaxing…eating delicious food as the sun went down, looking over Tasman Bay from the huge patio at the house we used to call home. It was a potluck of sorts where everyone brought some protein for the grill and a side; we had plenty of great food. On the agenda for the evening, Sola Rosa, a concert put on for the Nelson Arts Festival. After a beer at Founders brewery, we headed into the large tent for some fabulous local music and dancing. The band was great and in typical Kiwi style incorporated an infusion of different styles and rhythms. It ended up being an early night for us as the rest of the weekend was jam packed with what else but Rugby. We didn’t want to burn out on the first night!

The Semi Finals were scheduled for Saturday and Sunday evening. Taking advantage of the large flat screen in our living room, we watched both matches at home – enjoying the fact that a beer from the fridge is only $3 as opposed to the $10 you would expect to spend at any of the pubs in town. Wales was robbed of a win by France with a horrible call from the match official – forcing them to play one man down for most of the match. I guess you can’t body slam people in this gladiator sport, the ref thought he went just a little too far. Anyone who knows the history of NZ Rugby, as we most notably do now, knows there’s a large amount of animosity between the All Blacks and the French team, needless to say, there weren’t many Kiwis stoked on the match result with France making it to the final. The big one on Sunday night, Aussie v NZ was the match to see. Having seen these teams play each other twice since we’ve been here (one NZ win, one Aussie win) we were at the edge of our seat. Thankfully the All Blacks pulled through and cemented their place in the final match…France v New Zealand.

No one could really do anything the week prior to the final, except, wait for the final. It seemed that’s all that was on the news, people’s minds, and every conversation... especially with one of the NZ star players out, you could feel the nerves of the Kiwis across NZ. So, basically, we worked, we got through the week and began a huge weekend – One that will go down in NZ history.

One of the best things about this three day weekend (Labour Day was Monday) is that we had the house all to ourselves. With the roommate out with his buddies for the weekend we could actually make the
place feel a little more like our home. With a fresh bottle of vino in hand (okay 2), we proceeded to make a pretty spectacular scallop dish. After dinner we headed down to CBD to experience another part of the amazing Nelson Arts Festival.

Piki Mai is a digital art installation that projects moving imagery upon the Cathedral in the centre of town. It was incredible. The photos we took don’t do the work justice, but at least you can get an idea of some of the vivid colors that painted the church steps. It was the best thing for the price since we’ve been in NZ because it was free, a concept not widely practiced here.

yeah, pretty sweet

Saturday night we had the first night of Oktobeerfest for John. It was at the only German restaurant in Nelson and the owners and head chef are from Germany. They make authentic German food and have some delicious Hofbräu beer imported along with some from the brewery I work for. I was the event coordinator for the 2 weekend event and we had stein-lifting (Men’s and Women’s) and a German costume contest every night. It went well the first weekend and I got another Schwein Haux’n (Pork Shank) and Hofbräu Weizen for dinner, delicious every time.

Sunday night was the big night, the RWC2011 Final, NZ v France. We decided to watch the match at the Fanzone on a huge screen at upper Trafalgar Street, in front of the cathedral with 5,000 All Black fans.

The energy was incredible, and the game was intense. It went a lot differently then how the media predicted it. You could tell both teams were very nervous and didn’t want to be the ones to ruin it for their respective country. It was a defensive back and forth battle with a lot of bloody faces. NZ scored the only try of the game and the conversion was missed. The replacement of the previously mentioned All Black went down with a knee injury and in came a player who hadn’t even been asked to accompany the team into the RWC. He came in the game and drilled a penalty kick, which ended up being the game winner. The guy was “white-bait” fishing when he got the call a week before the Final. Whitebait fishing is like Steelhead, Kokanee and fly hatch season all wrapped up into one in this country. They stay in huts by their section of the river and put out nets to catch these sardine looking minnows in huge schools. The season lasts for a few months and some of the veteran fisherman can walk away with approx 30K in profit. I’ve had a whitebait patty as they cook up the fish and it’s nothing to write home about, so that's all you're going to get.

The date of the final was planned perfectly with Monday being a holiday and the whole day was spent relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. With the RWC matches officially over and Spring upon us, we look forward to spending the next month tramping around and enjoying some weekend trips. Stay tuned to see where the Adventureship will take us next! West Coast, Able Tasman, Marlborough Sounds and more.

Cheers,

John and Shannon

Tahuna Beach...10 minute walk from home