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Other entries in Auckland

dairy farmers and rugby matches

the day after our decision to seek out more backpacker things to do and stray away from the tourist aspect of New Zealand, we woke up in a large but deserted town with a lack of things to do. and this was a good thing. i was a little disappointed that in the morning, David seemed to recant on his argument and wanted to return down the road to do the cave rafting. i was shocked that it took only a nights sleep for him to reverse his thoughts and i told him that it was out of the question. we had made a decision, that i thought we both were behind, and we should stick to it. it turned out that later that day, we would be very happy with our choice.

we decided to drive south to a smaller town known for its scenery and art. we got there, walked around the park for a bit, found an information center and inquired for things to do. not too much was the answer. we found a golf course on a map and opted to walk to inquire about playing. we left our car and ended up making a several km walk to the field house and found out the price was out of our range so we walked back to the car and left town. we headed towards auckland so we wouldnt have far to drive the next morning when the car was due and looked for a golf course along the way. we eventually spotted one on the side of the highway and turned into find out the rates. we found a delightfully nice woman who helped us out then asked about our business being there and when we said we were without plans or a place to stay, she offered for us to stay with her and her husband. we looked at each other, smiled and then graciously accepted her generous offer. she had work to do on the golf course so she let us play and said we would work out the details after our round. golf went similarly as the time before with me beating fatty, this time by a little more as he had a very "frustrating" day, but we both need substantial work on our game. afterwards, we met up with Judy and her husband Brian and followed them back to their house. we made sure we werent inconveniencing them and they assured us we werent then set us up with our own rooms, hot showers, and a delicious meal of lamb, oven roasted potato, squash, and a new veggie native to NZ called a kumra that was like a sweet potato, then green beans, mint jelly, and some brown gravy. always good to have a home cooked meal and even better when it was this good. they also took us out on a drive of the countryside and to a beach known for great fishing and surfing. it started to rain as we got out there thus ruining our chance to see a nice sunset but the views were still quite nice. along the car trip, we bombarded them with questions about their country, history, government, customs, and their trade, dairy farming. they seemed relatively young to be retired and have three grown successful sons. i posited that their having an empty nest previously occupied by three males was one of the reasons for our invitation. it also probably didnt hurt that im so charming. it was really interesting to learn about their family history of dairy farming and also about the development of the farming trade in NZ. the addition of new technologies and increased competition really shook things up and forced a lot of change. but this family made it through and now they have lucrative investments that allow them to live comfortably, play lots of golf, take vacations, and host foreign travelers occasionally. it was a totally freak coincidence that we stopped at this golf couse and were able to find a unique and fantastic New Zealand experience. and it was even more random that it was literally the next day after we had our lengthy discussion about wanting to look for those type of experiences. i guess that horse shoe is still lodged up there somewhere.

we left the family early yesterday morning thanking them profusely for their hospitality and told them they did a great service to their country by increasing the enjoyment factor of two guests tenfold. we drove to auckland and returned our rented car, Sluggie, and then killed time before going to a rugby match that night. it was the first game of the season and the auckland home team was hosting a rival from the south. the crowd was pumped up because of the home opener but i was disappointed that they werent more crazy. i guess i expected some fights to break out, fires to be set, or more arrests to be made but it was a rather tame experience. we got cheap tickets that were general admission and actually were able to secure front row seats but moved because we could see more from farther up. this was both of ours first live rugby experience but since fatty had played in college, he knew much more than i did about the rules and he asked neighboring fans when he didnt know what happened. the home team was winning but eventually lost causing some uproar. it started raining midway though the game adding a fun slippery element both to the field and to the beer and litter soaked stands. the wave was started nearby and we learned that most of the excitement surrounding the tradition revolves around the fact that it is socially acceptable to throw whatever trash you have swimming about your ankles into the air, or in some cases, at the people in front of you. it was literally raining garbage. possibly one reason they use all plastic for their concessions.

we returned to the heart of the city to go out but were a bit disappointed with the lack of activities to do. most bars were empty the streets were of similar appearance. at one point a carfull of girls drove by and yelled out "hey ugly!" and then extended a middle finger out the window. i assumed they were talking to fatty. but it did kind of but a cap on our perception of the kiwis. for the most part, we were disappointed with their friendlyness, or lack thereof. we didnt meet any people our age that went out of their way to respond to a simple "hello". we stayed in a few hostels but the only people that would talk to us were from other lands. not sure if that means that the new zealanders are sick of the tourist trade and thus dont want to socialize with non-kiwis but it was definitely a common theme that we noticed that they are not actively pursuing new friendships. so when we come back, i guess it will be to do the sights, and not meet the people. but thats ok, we had a great time here and made lots of memories. next stop sydney where we'll meet up with our friends we met in BA and then see a lot of that beautiful country.

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