Life is not measured ....

Crusaders (our first rugby match)

Last week we finally made it to our first rugby match.

The Crusaders are the local team but quite a few of the team are also in the All Blacks (including the captain, Richie McCaw and the kicker, Dan Carter ). They play in the Super 14s which includes teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

People here are mad about their rugby so it was about time we experienced it for ourselves. We got tickets through the bring a kid to footie deal and headed to Jade Stadium last Saturday evening. It was great night out. Louise and Daniel picked up their goodie bags which included noisy hand clappers and kitted out with their t’shirts and Crusaders swords they were ready to be rowdy supporters. We were sat at one end of the stadium right behind the posts and just before the start horses and knights come out onto the field sending the crowd into a frenzy of clapping and noise. We then settled down to a great game of rugby – the Crusaders won and there were plenty of tries – I have a feeling we may do that again. Louise and Daniel have spent the week chanting “go Crusaders”!

We continue to keep up all the new sports/activities we have started here: Louise is now horse riding twice a week, Ben has made it out surfing again and we have been back to clip and climb at the Roxx.

rugby, surfing and climbing photos

posted by Sharon, Ben, Louise and Daniel @ 9:50 pm 0 comments

One year since we left the UK

We left the UK exactly a year ago today.

It has been an incredible year taking in some amazing places: Dubai, Sydney Brisbane, Fiji, Cairns and of course the South Island of New Zealand.

Highlights there are many, lowlights only one. We’ve learnt a lot about ourselves and had great fun in the process. We’ve been welcomed into a new community and have the most fantastic set of friends on both sides of the world. We’ll never look back on our lives and wonder what if ...? We’re proud of the decisions we’ve made and the journey we have taken.

In just over two weeks time, we’ll celebrate being in New Zealand for a year. Will this coming year be any less manic … no probably not!

Helen and Mike, friends from uni days, fly out of the UK today with their two boys, Isaac and Theo. They arrive in Auckland and then travel down the north island before taking the ferry across to the south island where we will meet up, almost exactly a year to the day that we arrived in Christchurch.

posted by Sharon, Ben, Louise and Daniel @ 2:16 am 0 comments