Rainbows, Rides And Rugby League
The enticing aroma of sizzling bacon greeted us first thing this morning as we indulged in deliciously fresh bacon and egg rolls lovingly cooked by the team dads on the barbie. Nothing quite like a still-warm freshly baked roll to warm the cockles of your proverbials on a brisk New Zealand winter’s morning. It was an officially designated sightseeing day today and we were travelling by coach to Auckland’s answer to Wallyworld…”Rainbow’s End”. The coach driver gave us a bit of a whirlwind tour of Auckland, complete with commentary and a fantastic view of the skyline along the harbour; the iconic spire of the Sky Tower visible at every turn; following us around the city like the Mona Lisa’s eyes. The pretty harbour was lined with rows and rows of yachts and the driver pointed out the volcanoes visible on the horizon.
Most of the dads on the tour (Ross – who never met a rollercoaster he didn’t like – not included) had hatched a plan to artfully dodge the theme park and opt instead for a ferry ride to the picturesque Waiheke Island, just 35 minutes away in the Auckland Harbour. They had a quiet lunch away from the hustle and bustle, enjoying this unspoilt slice of heaven (da, da, da, boom, boom, da, da, da, boom, boom…) raving about the beauty they’d witnessed when they returned. Another couple snuck away to catch up with long lost friends over lunch in Auckland. For the rest of us though, it was an action packed few hours of adrenaline pumping rides.
In a stroke of luck, we managed to time our visit to the park outside of the New Zealand school holidays (which start next week) and, being a Monday, barely had to queue for anything much at all. Working out a meeting place and time for the end of the day, we split ourselves up into smaller groups to roam freely around the park, stopping at whichever rides happened to take our fancy. Maisy and Chloe came with me and a couple of the other mums, one of whom was only a “spectator” for the day. Needless to say, our adrenaline stayed in fairly good check and the most adventurous we got was a thrilling encounter with the “Choco Coaster” which maxed out at a little faster than walking pace. The dodgems were quite an eye opener too, of the perils that lay ahead for us when Maisy gets her Learner’s Permit! She spent almost the entire session spinning in out of control circles and attempting to drive the wrong way around the one way track! Fortunately we had the whole track to ourselves.
There was one ride that stood apart from the rest. Its imposing structure like a giant monolith keeping watch over the whole park. This intense marvel of modern engineering was: “The Stratosfear”. With its brave and fearless riders seated facing outwards around a huge ring, it became a massive pendulum in motion, whooshing through the air at great speed, spinning as it went, until it reached its full height (about that of a ten storey building!) leaving its riders dangling precariously upside down for what, in my opinion, was just a bit too long. If that wasn’t heart palpitating enough, the pendulum’s momentum would eventually propel these courageous punters through a full rotation! It was utterly stomach churning and that was just for the spectators! Staggering through the exit gates, we were met with mixed reactions from the boys. Some looked decidedly green and others did a swift U-Turn to back up immediately for another go! Toby was amongst these eager beavers and he could barely wipe the smile off his dial! Even Ross and Sam weren’t keen to venture into Stratosfear territory and that’s saying something!
The sun stayed out though the clouds were looking ominous and there was certainly a chill in the air, particularly as the afternoon drew to a close. We had a brief return to our accommodation so the boys could get their gear in preparation for their first game and after a few wrong turns and a decidedly flustered coach driver, we finally made it to the home of the Northcote Tigers. Unfortunately the partially demolished building up one end of the field was home to the light switch that turned on the lights for the night games. Luckily Plan B was enacted and we shifted the game to an adjacent field where the light switch was fully functioning.
The pitch was beautifully flat (unlike many of the fields the boys are used to playing on) with lush, thick, green grass. If they were going to be hammered by these teenage Maori warriors, well at least they’d have a soft landing.
One look at the opponents’ proportions had our boys shuddering (and not just because it was five degrees). Indeed they did look menacing! One of their dads joked that some of them had driven to the game. He told us one of the boys was on day release from prison and the police had allowed him to take his ankle bracelet off for the game! We found out later that they had been just as nervous about playing our team!
The Avalon Bulldogs needn’t have worried. They played like champions and well and truly held their own in what ended up being a pretty evenly matched affair. The scoreline at the final whistle was 18 all and our boys were rightfully chuffed with the way they performed. There was great camaraderie on the sideline with the opposition maintaining their sense of humour and good sportsmanship throughout the game. The Tigers gave a heartfelt “Australia!” cheer at the culmination of the game and then one of the cheeky parents got them to yell “Queensland!” which had us all cracking up.
Toby was stoked to be nominated by the Northcote Tigers as the “Player of the Match”, scoring himself a Tigers t-shirt and feeling quite honoured, as they all really did play well. Good on him! (You can tell we’re proud parents!) We all felt warmly welcomed at the clubhouse as our hospitable foes put on an impressive spread, the boys mingling and swapping football stories.
