Four years ago, almost exactly to the day, I was watching the Rugby World Cup final in a little pub in Oslo. That night I learned what the hell rugby actually was from a Kiwi guy I met at my hostel.
That guy is, four years and four days later, the reason I’m in New Zealand, now typing this at 12:20am, listening to people screaming in the streets, cars honking, drunk people doing the haka, fireworks and the sound of cruise ship horns celebrating New Zealand’s new world champion title for the first time in 25 years (I took a little video for you – it’s pretty awesomesauce):
Tonight, I was lucky enough to have an “in” to the PWC towers, where a group of loud Kiwi blokes, corporates, nationals and expats watched the final together with bated breath. We had this incredible view of the harbor, the Cloud and the cruise ships in the background, a massive screen and copious amounts of booze. I was also lucky enough to watch the Kiwis in attendance sing their national anthem perfectly in both English and Maori. I love this about New Zealand.
The All Blacks also did the most epic haka in the history of ever. If you’ve never seen it, find a video. There is seriously nothing sexier. Especially when there are rugby players involved.
And while I pretty much still have no idea how rugby works, I followed along closely enough, biting my nails down the the nub during those last three minutes when the score was 8-7.
During the past six weeks, New Zealand has been counting down to this moment. Tourists are everywhere and the city is buzzing in a way I haven’t experienced here before. There’s this epic fan trail which takes you from the waterfront up to the main stadium and during every game, thousands of fans walk the few miles, wearing flag-capes and painted faces. Along the trail you’re entertained by everyone from musicians to obsessive fans. I did the walk last week and tonight finally sat down to watch a game in full.
The Kiwi and I may not have ended up happily ever after. I may or may not still be sleeping on an air mattress in a falling down student house in a city a million miles from home. But. BUT. On this night – when the All Blacks have given this little country something incredible to celebrate – there’s definitely nowhere else I’d rather be.
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