The Test and Exams

I write today as we had our first "blizzard" in Dunedin. We awoke to the sounds of cars revving their engines trying to climb the icy hills and not going anywhere. There was around an inch of snow in town and more at higher elevations. When snow is forecasted for Dunedin they report snow to certain elevations. Last night it was snow to sea level, which means us. It actually felt like winter as the air was cold enough to be dry versus the usual wet and cold. The streets and sidewalks were vacant as most people don't venture out on such days and many of our coworkers weren't in the office. By the end of the day the streets were clear of ice, snow, and cars. It's supposed to stay cold for a couple more days.


Clearly kiwis do not know how to deal with snow

Work has been a bit busy for both of us as students' classes are done for the semester. Katie and I have been busy grading practical exams over the past week. Written exams will be completed in the next couple days and then reading and grading essays will take precedence, but only for another 10 days until we head to Thailand! Most of our trip is sorted and we are looking forward to sunny warm days and learning about Thai culture.

This past weekend we went to our first "test". A test is an international rugby match. The All Blacks were in town and played France at the local pitch, Carisbrook. Normally, New Zealand vs. France would not be much of an event, except in the last Rugby World Cup, France knocked New Zealand out of the tourney, so tensions were higher than would be expected. We were able to score second row seats as our friend Lexie had a connection for presale tickets. Carisbrook is a short walk from our flat, so Katie and I decided to host a pregame party at our house for the event. We invited some other coworkers over for some bratwurst, home fries, plenty of fattening snacks, and an array of beverages. The weather was sunny and warm all day and stayed great for the night game.

The town was abuzz with many fans in from out of town and many events ongoing around the test. There was the traditional nude rugby match at the local pitch. The city centre octagon was partly shut down with tents and video screens up for those who weren't part of the 28,000 fans who sold out Carisbrook. There were also several meet the players/autograph signing sessions in town.

The AB's were pretty short handed as their captain and their first five-eighth (quarterback) were both injured as well as eight other starters. So the starting lineup was mostly young guys trying to make their way into the regular rotation. Expectations for a victory were a bit dulled due to these factors, but we were fired up for a win. Before every game the All Blacks perform the haka, which is a traditional Maori war chant. It is pretty cool to see on TV and even more so in person. Unfortunately, they were facing away from us so we didn't get the full experience. Check out a clip of the haka here. It would be pretty intimidating to watch 25 huge men yell, chant, dance, and give you the cut-throat right before you go head to head for 80 minutes on the rugby pitch.

The game was pretty cool as I am starting to understand some more of the rules and themes of the game. Unfortunately, this means I could tell the AB's were not playing well. France got out to an early lead scoring two tries right in front of us. France was in command until the last 10 minutes of the first half when NZ got a penalty goal and a try in quick succession. At halftime France was up 17-11. The AB's continued their scoring to come even at 17-17 by the middle of the second half, but in the end the kiwi's came up short 22-27. Our seats were sweet and we got to see 3 of 4 tries about 15 metres away. After the game we stopped to watch the French boys wander around and thank their fan contingent, which was pretty strong. Their guys are all about the size of NFL linebackers, but 15 of them play both offense and defense for 80 minutes.


Action Shot


France gets a Try

We were both stoked to get to the game and take in a real kiwi tradition with a pregame American flare. This may also be the historic last test at Carisbrook as a new stadium is currently being built, despite much local protest. We look forward to the AB's getting revenge against France next weekend in Wellington. This test will be taken at a local pub with a beer or two. This is the way all tests should be taken!!

More fun pics!

Update:
We had some excitement at work today, before publishing the blog. There was a large crane working on the top of the hospital next door when we walked to work this morning. At about 11am, the crane came crashing down in the street! What a mess that is. It was still there at 4.30 when we left for home. Made for good views out our office windows! See the news story and pics HERE.