September 22nd: Taking the cable car up to the observatory and a pleasant stroll on a cold but sunny morning through the botanical gardens, meandering through the highway bisected cemetery back to Wellington.
September 23rd: Driving from the city to the Lower Hutt campground, taking in the penguin crossing, Eastbourne with a beautiful view of Wellington harbor and an excellent lamb chop dinner before heading out to the USA versus Australia game.
September 24th: A cold blustery drive up to New Plymouth via the surf highway. We spent the night at Opunake on a deserted world class surfer’s beach. We bundled ourselves into town to watch England, who for the first time inspired some allegiance in Carolyn, play Romania in the local pub, feeding on the roast of the day by a roaring log fire and chatting with the locals who couldn’t comprehend why we chose to stop in their one horse town.
September 25th: Walking along the coastal pathway with Huw and Celia then Tom using his press knowledge to get us to the Devon Hotel where the Wales team were staying and the fun of watching Celia starry-eyedly getting her photo taken with the players as we watched Ireland playing Russia.
September 26th: We played golf, dazzled by Mount Taranaki/Egmont which finally came out from behind the clouds. Jim and Bernice, who with incredible kindness invited us to park our campervan in their driveway, meet us in the New Plymouth Fanzone and then take us to a pub where they know the owner for drinks and warm chat that establish (we hope) a long friendship. We shuttle bus to Wales v Namibia with a touching end of match farewell to Namibia, and then meet our Welsh buddies at the Takapa rugby club for Welsh singing and good cheer.
September 27th: Drive to Palmerston North where we watch Japan draw with Canada and USA battle valiantly against Italy in the local Rosie O’Grady’s pub with a poker tournament going on around us.
