Watching the All Blacks

Well what a spectacle, England vs the All Blacks at Eden Park. It was a very close game with many people thinking a draw would have been a fairer score, but not to be with the All Blacks scoring a try in the dying moments. There was a lot of hype beforehand in the press here saying the English team was underpar and it would be a whitewash - England definitely gave them a fright!

Unlike the picture above!! Malcolm and I decided we had to support England in this one and there were a few of us in the 49,000 crowd, which Malcolm said was very quiet in comparison to crowds back home!, but still a great atmosphere and good to watch, despite wondering about some of the Welsh ref's decisions!

 

 

We both really enjoyed Auckland, it is a beautiful city of lovely parks and harbours built on 20 volcanoes!, lava fields and islands. We went to the top of the sky tower (but did not jump off!!) and enjoyed a very good exhibition on volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis at the city museum - I really do wonder why we are living in flat coastal Papamoa when White Island the most active volcano in NZ is just off shore! We also found a wonderful Singapore type food court so relived the tastes of mee goreng, nasi goreng and beef rending!

 

 

On the Sunday we had a very special sail on Auckland harbour in a beautiful old wooden sailing ship called a scow, the maritime museum volunteers take the ship out every day. It was superb to see the city from the water and watch all the yachts racing under the Auckland bridge - a very special experience.

 

They even gave us jobs to do - I am really taken with the idea of volunteering with this, if I can!

 



 

Another link with home as we sailed back into the dock we passed a crane tug, where the crane was built at Sir William Arrols of Glasgow, where my dad used to work!