Running Amok

According to Elbow 'One day like this a year will see you right'. We have had several in the past weeks however one day supporting Wales or France in a lifetime is probably enough and was beautifully summed up by one England fan in a text to his friend in Wales which read " Thankfully my time as a Welshman was brief and if thats what its like no wonder you always look miserable"
Gallant in defeat yes, poor with the boot certainly but probably not robbed by the ref and I guess we will never know how Wales would have fared with 15 men. It was another match that seemed to suck the life out of the crowd to go alongside most of the England games.
The following morning the local church notice board summed up the feeling around NZ with the plea "Please God help us win". Bill Shankly was right, it is more important than life and death over here at the moment. The game certainly lived up to the hype and demonstrated that there really is no love lost between NZ and Australia when it comes to Rugby. Todays papers headline " FINAL-LY the choke is on them"
As Jonathan Pearce on Radio 5 would say "What can possibly go wrong now for the All Blacks"

Other highlights this week included-

• The Coromandel even in the rain
• Cathedral Cove, Hotwater Beach and the fantastic Driving Creek Railway.
• The Argentinian fans for one last time. The fans of the tournament for me
• The stunning Opito Bay. We went wild and free camped next to the beach in a no camping area. We are out of control.
• More Fat Boy breakfasts. They do them really well over here.
• Whitianga Hot Springs.
• The Auckland Sky Tower. The people who Bungy off it are mad
• The Rangitoto Volcano despite falling on the lava. Thankfully its had 600 years to cool down.
• Waiheke Island Vineyard. The one England visited after the French defeat. Unlike Tuilagi, Greg resisted jumping off the ferry as it entered the wharf in Auckland.

Off to the Northland now as the whole country holds its breath for one more week.