The team arrived in Auckland and were met at the airport by GSE Coordinator Bob Lang and GSE Committee member Elaine Mead. It may just have been the adrenalin at that point but everyone seemed to be (reasonably) refreshed at that point! After some quick greetings it was off to Elaine's for tea. Through Tina McNally, a member of Elaine's Westhaven Rotary club, Bob managed to get Jeff, Colleen, and Darren into Eden Park to watch a bit of the Auckland Blues (Rugby) team's last practice prior to their game the following evening (which we will be attending!) against the Wellington Hurricanes. We went right down onto the field, met several of the players (Darren was wearing a rugby shirt so they were sizing him up) as well as the coach who were extremley gracious with their time and impressed we had come all the way from Iowa "just for their game". As we were departing, Bob spotted several current and former members of the All Blacks (NZ's legendary elite rugby team) who posed for a picture with Darren and Colleen. Colleen said she had no problem having her picture taken with "muscular men"--and Darren had to agree that the members of the All Blacks looked 'rather fit' as well!
 |
| Isaia "ICE" Toeava , DARREN, COLLEEN, & Joe Rokocoko |
The team spent a relaxing afternoon walking along Takapuna beach (saw starfish, sand dollars, and shells galore) along with Jeff's former foreign exchange student, Julia and stopped in a quick snack and a few sips of the strongest coffee we'd ever experienced--which boosted our energy for the balance of the day. In the evening we were hosted for a lovely dinner at Bob and Chris Langs which culminated with "Hokey Pokey" ice cream for dessert! It was a fanstastic finish to a great first day!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.