Saturday 9th July, Diwrnod 12
Right, sori folks. combination of fatherhood, training for rugby and intermittent internet access have hampered the progress of the blog but now we're back on track and leading the pack...
For the life of me can't remeber what we did in the morning. I remeber having a bit of a hangover and having to leave early so we must have done something but anyway...
On the way up we have handed Kangeroo, no sori Kiwi court duties to some of the boys. Louie takes over and dishes out the t-shirts (Coward/slave/tour leader) and punishment as he sees fit. It's Henry and Kens last day on the tour as they are off to visit Henry's daughter for a day or two. henry gives us a moving speech on how much he's enjoyed the tour and hands out some freebies to various people. the one thing that doesn't come out in this blog is how the extras (ken, Henery, Gappa, Rhys, Jo, brent and Marshy) all mixed in so well and added to the experience. One of those 'friends for life' tours which none of us will forget (sniff)
Got to the Kiwi international hotel with veryone looking forward to settling down for a couple of days, sorting out their kit bags, having time for a proper bath/shower etc. Hmmm, the Kiwi's is a back packers, excellently placed on Queens street which is the main street with some rough looking streets heading off it at the top end where we are. We have a little shopping trip into town and a look around. getting the rooms is a nightmare. Instead of unbridled luxury it's 8 & 6 to a dorm with a couple of singles. I originally look to pinch a single off gappa or Marsh but there is hardly room for the bag on the floor so chuck in with a dorm. We have to initally dump all the bags in a single room and hang around in the heat trying to sort allocation. I billet all 'the boys' in one room together but there is chaos as different rooms become available at different times, bags go missing, people are tired, we have to wait hours and the rooms are due to be ready at the exact time we are supposed to leave for our hospitality before the 3rd test. In the end it all becomes a mad rush and there is a serious revolt from some members when they find they are sharing with Nusiance (who still denies he snores at all).
It was a low point of the tour and a couple of people even booked into another hotel for tomorrow night.
Anyway- with most people in a room somewhere and the bus waiting we pile off to Eden Park for the 3rd test. Again the tickets should have been for New Zealanders only and we remind everyone of their 'Hamilton Welsh' line but it turns out the crowd are 50-50 anyway and no one cares a damn. We are ushered to one of many 'tents' and your tireless reporter made sure he was 1st through the doors. The inside was like a small sports hall done out like a rugby pitch with mini posts and a score board. Immediatley picking the best table (although it was all standing) near the bar, toilets, stage, big screen and food counter we set up base camp. before I could head to the bar a waiter passed me carrying a tray of beer (monsieur Ambassidor was spoiling us I can tell you). They kept the beer coming and the bar was only for wine so we all had a la-di-da moment. it took us a while to realise they would keep bringing beer and you can imagine for the 1st quater of an hour we just stockpiled. Food also started coming round on trays but you could also get cooked dinner or noodles from the tables at the end of the room. We had a band playing, then a comedian (I love girls who smoke- if they can but something that disgusting and horrible in their mouths...), we had another haka from Maori dressed in full costume, an Austin Powers tribute, more comedians and John Kirwan and Gavin Hastings as guest speakers. Kirwan chucked out a signed jersey. Obviously when we could see he was going to do this we sent the boys up and Rich Hapus even caught it but it was ripped away from him. However he returned with a signed ball and made sure the boys had that. he invited them up on stage and gave our Sunday game a plug. me and Lee nipped off to put flags up in the ground. (if you watch the 3rd test there a big Welsh flag and an Owain Glyndwr 1 directly behind one of the posts). We were kicked into the match at about 6:30 having had two and a half hours of free beer. the tv crew had bought the extra tickets Gappa had and sat with us. The game Lions were awful and it pissed down. the Kiwis are not good winners but it was still quite good fun, it's not like we were watching Wales play. there was a quick rendition of flower of Scotland when Gordon Bullock finally got on and some of the Lions fans stripped off. the song: I'd rather be a Lion than a fruit was also quite funny I guess. Stephen Jones scored some test points and martyn Williams finally got capped but that was about it. Some of the Lions play was pathetic and I would have been disapointed if the Warriors had produced it. Oh well, blame Clive.
Back to the hospitality and more free beer. Eric Rush came and said a few words and the comedian was still good. the Lions fan who came on to sing "There are 3 kiwi dollars to the pound" and "there more value in a shinny stone" !!??! A Freddie Mercuary tribute came on and the stage was swaved in various flags (we went up once two e**lish ones turned up), a couple of girls got up and noting the wind street national costume of a denim belt I guessed (correctly) they were from Swansea, and a bloke in a Lions costume took Freddie by suprise and started shagging him up the arse which was hilarious. The tv crew had buggerd off but not before I had taken their passes. Unfortunatly the Betws boys had gone but Marsh got some mates in. Ken, Henry and his daughters were there, with one of them telling me he would be disapointed if we didn't visit him in Scotland and later saying to her that he didn't want to lave as the trip was 'history in the making'. (The other daughter was the tv presenter that tried to interview Michael Owen as he was lifting the 5 nations trophy this season, I did tell henry off about it!)
Anyway the bus back was great with Henry's family, lots of kiwis and the Pontiates boys.
Unfortuantley it was chaos at the hotel and it took me and Lee ages to get everyone sorted.
Many went straight to bed and we headed off into town last. despite it being the main street it wasn't organised like Wind Street or even Llanelli with the bars spread out (sparsley) amongst shops and such like. never the less we got ourselves some beers and settled in to enjoy the evening. We watched some Lions supporters go through various drinking 'rubgy' (ie rude) songs with various actions which the kiwis loved (Yogi bear made a welcome apperance), and then a couple of hakas from some kiwi youngsters. Apart from boy racers shouting All Blacks a lot it was quite pleasent. We bumped around for bit. I had to wake Lee a couple of times. We teamed up with a couple of Maori boys, we got kicked out of 1 pub for pinching rum over the bar and then found gappa and Marsh in a bouncing pub were we had drinking contests and a lot of fun. Lee retired and we lost one of the Moari (I found out later he wasn't allowed back in the pub). Me and my new friend Ash had a few more beers, talked Moari politics, more beer etc. Ash was from Whangara, the same town as Claire, he showed me a 'Northland' haka which was cool. Eventually we went up passed the hotel to the top of Queens street were it was a lot rougher and few red shirts. We picked up his car (theres little stigma about drink driving there) and went for a spin. I phoned Claire, she later told me it was 6:30pm. dropped off by hotel, bed- great stuff (rugby in the morning)
For the life of me can't remeber what we did in the morning. I remeber having a bit of a hangover and having to leave early so we must have done something but anyway...
On the way up we have handed Kangeroo, no sori Kiwi court duties to some of the boys. Louie takes over and dishes out the t-shirts (Coward/slave/tour leader) and punishment as he sees fit. It's Henry and Kens last day on the tour as they are off to visit Henry's daughter for a day or two. henry gives us a moving speech on how much he's enjoyed the tour and hands out some freebies to various people. the one thing that doesn't come out in this blog is how the extras (ken, Henery, Gappa, Rhys, Jo, brent and Marshy) all mixed in so well and added to the experience. One of those 'friends for life' tours which none of us will forget (sniff)
Got to the Kiwi international hotel with veryone looking forward to settling down for a couple of days, sorting out their kit bags, having time for a proper bath/shower etc. Hmmm, the Kiwi's is a back packers, excellently placed on Queens street which is the main street with some rough looking streets heading off it at the top end where we are. We have a little shopping trip into town and a look around. getting the rooms is a nightmare. Instead of unbridled luxury it's 8 & 6 to a dorm with a couple of singles. I originally look to pinch a single off gappa or Marsh but there is hardly room for the bag on the floor so chuck in with a dorm. We have to initally dump all the bags in a single room and hang around in the heat trying to sort allocation. I billet all 'the boys' in one room together but there is chaos as different rooms become available at different times, bags go missing, people are tired, we have to wait hours and the rooms are due to be ready at the exact time we are supposed to leave for our hospitality before the 3rd test. In the end it all becomes a mad rush and there is a serious revolt from some members when they find they are sharing with Nusiance (who still denies he snores at all).
It was a low point of the tour and a couple of people even booked into another hotel for tomorrow night.
Anyway- with most people in a room somewhere and the bus waiting we pile off to Eden Park for the 3rd test. Again the tickets should have been for New Zealanders only and we remind everyone of their 'Hamilton Welsh' line but it turns out the crowd are 50-50 anyway and no one cares a damn. We are ushered to one of many 'tents' and your tireless reporter made sure he was 1st through the doors. The inside was like a small sports hall done out like a rugby pitch with mini posts and a score board. Immediatley picking the best table (although it was all standing) near the bar, toilets, stage, big screen and food counter we set up base camp. before I could head to the bar a waiter passed me carrying a tray of beer (monsieur Ambassidor was spoiling us I can tell you). They kept the beer coming and the bar was only for wine so we all had a la-di-da moment. it took us a while to realise they would keep bringing beer and you can imagine for the 1st quater of an hour we just stockpiled. Food also started coming round on trays but you could also get cooked dinner or noodles from the tables at the end of the room. We had a band playing, then a comedian (I love girls who smoke- if they can but something that disgusting and horrible in their mouths...), we had another haka from Maori dressed in full costume, an Austin Powers tribute, more comedians and John Kirwan and Gavin Hastings as guest speakers. Kirwan chucked out a signed jersey. Obviously when we could see he was going to do this we sent the boys up and Rich Hapus even caught it but it was ripped away from him. However he returned with a signed ball and made sure the boys had that. he invited them up on stage and gave our Sunday game a plug. me and Lee nipped off to put flags up in the ground. (if you watch the 3rd test there a big Welsh flag and an Owain Glyndwr 1 directly behind one of the posts). We were kicked into the match at about 6:30 having had two and a half hours of free beer. the tv crew had bought the extra tickets Gappa had and sat with us. The game Lions were awful and it pissed down. the Kiwis are not good winners but it was still quite good fun, it's not like we were watching Wales play. there was a quick rendition of flower of Scotland when Gordon Bullock finally got on and some of the Lions fans stripped off. the song: I'd rather be a Lion than a fruit was also quite funny I guess. Stephen Jones scored some test points and martyn Williams finally got capped but that was about it. Some of the Lions play was pathetic and I would have been disapointed if the Warriors had produced it. Oh well, blame Clive.
Back to the hospitality and more free beer. Eric Rush came and said a few words and the comedian was still good. the Lions fan who came on to sing "There are 3 kiwi dollars to the pound" and "there more value in a shinny stone" !!??! A Freddie Mercuary tribute came on and the stage was swaved in various flags (we went up once two e**lish ones turned up), a couple of girls got up and noting the wind street national costume of a denim belt I guessed (correctly) they were from Swansea, and a bloke in a Lions costume took Freddie by suprise and started shagging him up the arse which was hilarious. The tv crew had buggerd off but not before I had taken their passes. Unfortunatly the Betws boys had gone but Marsh got some mates in. Ken, Henry and his daughters were there, with one of them telling me he would be disapointed if we didn't visit him in Scotland and later saying to her that he didn't want to lave as the trip was 'history in the making'. (The other daughter was the tv presenter that tried to interview Michael Owen as he was lifting the 5 nations trophy this season, I did tell henry off about it!)
Anyway the bus back was great with Henry's family, lots of kiwis and the Pontiates boys.
Unfortuantley it was chaos at the hotel and it took me and Lee ages to get everyone sorted.
Many went straight to bed and we headed off into town last. despite it being the main street it wasn't organised like Wind Street or even Llanelli with the bars spread out (sparsley) amongst shops and such like. never the less we got ourselves some beers and settled in to enjoy the evening. We watched some Lions supporters go through various drinking 'rubgy' (ie rude) songs with various actions which the kiwis loved (Yogi bear made a welcome apperance), and then a couple of hakas from some kiwi youngsters. Apart from boy racers shouting All Blacks a lot it was quite pleasent. We bumped around for bit. I had to wake Lee a couple of times. We teamed up with a couple of Maori boys, we got kicked out of 1 pub for pinching rum over the bar and then found gappa and Marsh in a bouncing pub were we had drinking contests and a lot of fun. Lee retired and we lost one of the Moari (I found out later he wasn't allowed back in the pub). Me and my new friend Ash had a few more beers, talked Moari politics, more beer etc. Ash was from Whangara, the same town as Claire, he showed me a 'Northland' haka which was cool. Eventually we went up passed the hotel to the top of Queens street were it was a lot rougher and few red shirts. We picked up his car (theres little stigma about drink driving there) and went for a spin. I phoned Claire, she later told me it was 6:30pm. dropped off by hotel, bed- great stuff (rugby in the morning)
posted by Llanelli Warriors match blog at 9:12 am
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