And back to civilisation...

A couple of photos from Waitete RFC where we stopped for food en route from Whanga to Hamilton.

Jon Kerr and Author with their prizes for: best tourist, man of the match, top points scorers, biggest drinkers etc etc

Shed is horny

Waitete RFC

'Tour Stylist' Rob Sheep as tour slave.

Today's classic Louie photo

Available at a web site near you soon!

This picture of our intrepid linesman has appeared on the net : click HERE !

can't wait for the keyring/hat/bottle openner etc

How did they fit his ears on!

After the mighty Llanelli Warriors 2nd tour win

"...and you Gary, tackle for fu...."

Louie capturing the 'Strop of the tour' prize. (he was going to sleep in the red shed.)

Whanga city center

made the cover of the local newspaper with this one (must have been Louie's smile)

Jason, Darren Dadi, Dai Posh and Megan join in the dancing

Welcome committee at Whangamomona

Yet more photos from the Llanelli Warriors triumphant march through NZ

some photos from leaving Wellington and going onto the Marae. Can't get the hang of this reverse sequence stuff yet mind. Haven't many pics from the rafting unfortunatley as I looked great in a wet suit (!!), well next to Louie and Dai Nusiance anyway!

River valley white water rafting Co

and Nathan claims he's never been to NZ

About to leave Marae

gwely am y nos

..corrupting the kids and..

having a couple of beers..

Joio

The hangi- very tasty

The Marae

The 'cake tin' Westpac stadium

Every picture tells a stroy don't it

Few pictures from next day, see how busy it was, understand now why no one got postcards??? Thanks to Nathan 'Blob Scott' Mathews for his 'enthusiastic contribution (see if you can spot which are his). More tomorrow or sumfin'

'Brilliant' spoof photo by my 'friend' Nathan

Dai Nusiance demonstrates the 4 star accomodation at the Scott's College. (luckily this photo is sound proof)

In the cake tin

Not just me who falls asleep in pubs then!

phot provided by Pierce Morgan

Be like Gwil contest: smiles from Colin...

thumbs up from Gappa

So many photos . . . so little space

Some more photos from (mainly) day 2 & 3. That'll be the NZ rugby museum, Tui brewery, Carerton lodge, 1st match of tour and kareoke bar then. Christ no wonder I'm still recovering.

Megan smiles as Dai Ed leaves his drink

Dai Nusiance and Darren Dadi emerge from kareoke bar

Size matters!

1st team photo of tour

'Tour Stylist' Rob Sheep making Captain tougher

Louie Jones: For the ladies #1

Louie Jones: For the ladies #2

Shed and Lee Mole: hats to breakfast

Tui brewery: Ron Specsavers (more photos to appear if sponsorship dries up!)

NZ rugby Museum: Bedisloe Cup and Ranfury shield (Burry Port badge not pictured)

Flower Power bus - nice eh!

King Colin on Warriors 'throne' in sawdust bar in Palmerston

Photos from 1st day

well actually the 1st couple of days, ie the travelling. Quite a journey: Llanelli - Heathrow 4 hrs(bus), Heathrow - Auckland 24 hrs (aeroplane), Auckland - New Plymouth 40 mins(aeroplane bach), New Plymouth - Palmerston North 2:30 hrs (bus). followed by Lions v Manawatu and night in Palmerston North!

Palmerston North- 1st night, 1st pub, going well!

1st haka of tour

on the ickle aeroplane Auckland-New Plymouth

Arrive in Auckland

not quite got the hang of the'british' concept of the tour

Team photo prior to the off

The end

Well thats about it, I will write a post tour summary and will continue to post photos here for a bit. the Warriors 7s has been abandoned for this season. I have already played the 1st match of the new season, featuring for Pontiates in the Gwendreath 10s. We get to the 'invitation final' or to put it another way - lose every game. I pick up a great cut accross my eye though. Betws play in the Penybanc 10s on 13th Aug and the Warriors are hoping to play on the 1st sunday in September....

The last photo: Heathrow- the bus finally arrives

leaving on a jetplane

the journey home is an absolute nightmare. The flight is delayed due to some valve. We wait for an hour whilst a woman in a flouresent jacket whacks things with a hammer. We eventually take off and the long crawl home begins...
In Singapore we have not time to look around but have to march straight onto the next plane. Louie and Dai N can't stop for a fag whilst me and Lee worry our hand luggage will make the switch. Louies nerves show when we have to go through security. Never happy giving up his pennies even for a second, he argues with the guards, then beeps in the machine, then tries to aviod being swipped by security and starts shouting. Bravley I decide not to run headlong before they shoot him, and calm him down enough to show them it's just his belt buckle. Already their understanding smiles have been replaced by frowns and I can't get him through quick enough!
We meet Henry and Ken on the 2nd flight, they have had a night in Singapore but said it was too hot to enjoy. Again I can't sleep, no one wants to talk and having sat through a couple of movies (Dirty Harry is class) I end up just wondering around the plane talking to anyone who will respond. Critisism of Woodpecker is total and I even have a couple of e**lish people agreeing that Wales would give the ABs a better game. Slowly slowly slowly we edge closer home. I've played all the video games and watched all the videos I can and there is nothing much to look forward to. My magazines are all in the hold and I'm knackered.

We eventually land say goodbye to henry (who has a 4 hour wait for his flight to Scotland) and get our baggage. There is a slight high point when the hand luggage apperars. This soon wears off though. We had heard that it was warm at home but still weren't ready for this sweltering heat. We are all dressed for NZ winter and have to lug bags and coats around. the bus is waiting but has to be released for some car park. We wilt in the heat waiting and waiting...
The bus trip home is very boring. We see a load of armed police near the airport, have a quick look at TVNZs video of us meeting the ABs have to stop in services for the driver, (Here we see Matt Cardy. Of course Dean knows him so he stops for a chat. he is retiring from rugby (just finnished with Leeds) just returned from Thailand and about to go to france with his girlfriend. Once he's been to Simon Easterbys wedding he is returning home to NZ to go back to carpentary.) We drop Ken off in Sarn and eventually, eventually get back to Stradey. Claire and Rebbecca are wearing very fetching 'proffesional rugby widow' t-shirts. Tell the various Mams, carers, brothers, families etc that it was great and we enjoyed so much even though it doesn't feel like it at the time. Bed can't come soon enough...

Homeward bound, day 16, beginning of the end

Last day in NZ and boy are we ready to go home. 1st we see off the kiwi contigent. Gappa, Marsh, Stu, Mrs Stu and the flower power bus. We are given the web site pillow cases as a last souveneir and empty the bus of rubbish/t shirts/hats/food/papers/magazines/keyrings etc
Its sad to see them go as it shows the tour is really over and it's been hell of a ride.
The 1st focal point of the day is the (sponsored) jump off the sky tower (LINK) by Rob Sheep and Deano. i find another copy of (NZ) rugby news that has a small feature on the Warriors whilst we're waiting. The tower is blydi tall but as we watch some people come down it their slogan: Hard on the mind - easy on the body, looks about right as there is no real free fall. Not that I could have even looked off the edge mind!
Once they jump off and we look at the video we go shopping down the harbour. I find a Manawatu v Lions t shirt I was looking for (that caotic 1st night now seems so far away) and the boys buy a lot of stuff in the 'Lions Den' shop. Everything is at least 1/2 price. Lee gets a coat with about 60% off plus any top of his choice. Nothing really takes my fancy as I know I'll be getting the AB-Lions jersey and I already have a fleece. The boxer shorts are especially PANTS! It takes us a while to get around because Louie and Rich hapus are hobbling for Wales but we have food in a shopping mall with an excellent chinese counter.
We then make our way back still buying plastic kiwi dolls and other nick nacks. My haul for Claire includes an All Blacks oven glove and a nice t towel to go with the pillow cases.
Back at the hotel we book taxis for later, have a photo with the hotel photographer and do a final shot for the tv company who give us a nice card and some cds of 'NZ music'. We cram/squeese/jump on/squash/push/pull and crush stuff into our bags. I manage to get everything in, even stuff I don't care about. We have a lost and found sale of (Welsh) keyrings, paper weights and other crap we can't be arsed to take back to wales. About 6 sleeping bags are left behind.
Food is down the Queens head again. A quiet night of contemplation with our time in NZ running out. As time draws on we notice the jackpot hasn't dropped yet. 14 chip in and drop NZ$ 970 and the 2nd go, pissing off a lot of orientals who were playing for it. It is virtally the last thing we do before heading back up Queens St 1 last time.
Catch taxis-head to airport.
In the check in me , Lee, Louie and the kit get a bit left behind. Mine and Lees bags are both overweight. (41kg instead of 30 in my case). I dump my boots (sniff), put everything I can in other bags and my hat (yes that hat) wear my fleece and donkey jacket, the lady FINALLY accepts our bags and agrees that the kit is between 19 of us, not 3. We head up to departures but when we try to weigh in the hand luggage I have 13kg (7kg limit). Robo cop ("Halt- please put your baggage onto the scales sir-that is over the limit sir etc) informs us that we can try and check it onto the plane. Eventually, sweating like pigs, we manage this without sur charge. What the fuck is all that about. feels like walking on air now I'm not wearing 16 layers and lugging 13kg+ around.
We go off to departures, have a coffee, stop one of the boys paying for a 2 dollar bottle of coke with a 500 dollar note even though he's got a tonne of change in his pockets and eventually board the plane....