Rugby, rain and what's that smell?

If there is one thing you notice about the men in New Zealand is that they always seem ready to play a rugby match. Whether they're walking around in their high shorts (I've seen a lot of male thighs) or their thick rugby shirts, it's clear what's going on in those Kiwi minds. One of these days I'm gonna throw a rugby football in the middle of the street and see what happens.

The 2011 Rugby World Cup kicked off on Friday with New Zealand's All Blacks squaring off against Tonga. Instead of watching the game in the house, I decided to head to the local pub and watch with the Waihi residents. I even wore a black shirt. The turnout wasn't as big as I thought, I think most folks decided to watch the game in their homes, I did meet some cool people, including a couple of Aussies.

The one mistake I made was sitting at the bar. Though the conversation was cool, I quickly found out that people who sit at the bar, don't really care what's happening in the game.

The All Black crushed Tonga but there was plenty of Haka to go around.

On Saturday, Jen and I jumped into Edna Gertrude Martha Johnson and headed to Rotoura. Roto-Vegas, as it is called, is over two hours away from Waihi and is known for extreme sports, Maori culture and geothermal activity. Jen and I started at Hell's Gates where we walked around geothermal springs (too hot to touch). It was pretty funky with all the sulfur, but interesting. We capped it all off with a mud foot bath.

Afterwards we headed to Whakarewarewa, a living thermal village where the Maori have lived for centuries.
Took in a Haka performance and toured the village.

Sunday proved to be a wash. We planned to go zorbing (rolling around in a rubber ball), but the rain canceled that. The best thing about living in a place for six months is knowing you'll have time to go back.

Here are some pics: 1. My best impression of  Maori face; 2. Jen at Hell's Gates, 3/4 Pics of the geothermal spots; 5. Jen in mud bath; 6. Me in mud bath; 7. Posing with Maori performer; 8. Sign to the Maori village; 9. Archway leading to the village honoring fallen soliders and warriors; 10. Maori Wahiao meeting house.