RWC 2011 Wellington

Well, Matthew and I have arrived in Wellington after a long flight from Calgary. All flights were essentially on time and we had no trouble with connections or luggage. We scored three seats so the long flight from Van to Aukland was as comfortable as it could be. Both of us had a long sleep so we arrived well rested. It is very strange to lose an entire day and hard to get bearings but so far so good. We got to our hotel and stored our luggage and set off to explore Wellington. First stop was the Te Papa Museum, the National Museum of NZ. We signed up for an introductory tour and got a good flavour for what is there to see. A really entertaining Haka performed by a troupe in native costume. We will need to go back and spend considerably more time there! After that, we wandered around and found an Italian Cafe for a sandwich, Stanche, Fame et Sete was once again upon us. After lunch, we returned to the hotel to check in and inspect our accomodations. Perhaps even more underwhelming than I had anticipated, but will be satisfactory for sleeping. Went out exploring again and found some shops and souveneirs, followed by a stroll along the waterfront and stopped at the Dockside for a refreshment. Received a call from Alan Mexted who invited us to his home to meet his family and transact the tickets we have for the games this weekend. He also suggested that we visit the FanZone at the waterfront to soak up the atmosphere and watch the SA v Samoa match on the big screen. So that is what is coming up next.