Tales from the Rugby World Cup

October 3rd: The Rugby World Cup pool matches are over. The past 2 days we were in Wellington to witness the upset of the tournament (Tonga over France 19-14) on Saturday and New Zealand’s 12 try romp over Canada (79-15) on Sunday. This morning we drove 60 kilometers through the Rimutaka Mountains with Carolyn clenching tightly to the seat. We stopped at Kaitoke Regional Park to look at locations where they filmed Lord of the Rings. We’re now reading the paper and doing laundry on a drizzly afternoon at our campsite in Martinborough. We’re resting here for the next 5 days before returning to Wellington for the quarterfinal matches : Ireland vs Wales on Saturday and South Africa vs Australia on Sunday. Our five best sensory experiences since we last wrote our blog: Sight: Our horses coming in at Palmerston North racetrack so we only ended up losing $.60 before joining the city’s attempt to break the Guinness Record for most consecutive rugby passes in the town centre. After an hour setting up and 3 failed attempts the city decided to let the current record stand. Feel: The soothing healing powers of New Zealand Manuka honey and grapefruits which we had been told would cure our lingering colds. We bought the local natural remedies in Feilding which has either won or bestowed upon itself the title of New Zealand’s most friendly city. Sound: The baa-ing of spring lambs as we played around them on the Shannon golf course after being directed by Rosie at the info center in Shannon to Farmer John’s house. John let us park our campervan in his yard, opened his house to us, and loaned us his son’s golf clubs before heading off to his other house on the coast with his grandkids. He refused to take any payment. Kiwi hospitality is truly amazing! Taste: We had 2 wonderful brunches in Wellington area. On Saturday we joined Tom’s longtime rugby buddy Bob and Kathleen for potato and leek soup, steak and oyster and Guinness pie, and mushrooms on toast at Captiol Restaurant and Sunday we went to new Kiwi rugby buddy Wayne and his wife’s house in Ngaio for eggs benedict and egg and bacon pie and a very pleasant morning with some of Wayne’s neighbors and other world cup rugby visitors. Smell: The breads and pies and croissants in the French bakery in Greytown after we hiked the forest paths and swinging bridge in Kaitoke Regional Park and before setting up camp in Martinborough.