Watching the Rugby in Rotorua

Ever since watching NZ’s All Blacks win the Rugby World Cup final right after we arrived in NZ, Elisse and I have been die hard rugby fans. Well, interested at least. Certainly interested enough to jump on an opportunity to go watch the rugby live in Rotorua! We found that a rugby sevens tournament (sevens = fewer players on the field and shorter halves, so more running and scoring) was going to happen right along our route, so we decided to check it out. It was a beautiful weekend day in the sun – lots of folks were enjoying it. The organizers had even set up a slip-n-slide for little kids, down a slope next to the stadium. The games were really fun to watch too; there were teams from various regions around the country and a lot of camaraderie, plus rugby sevens is a really fast-paced, fun to watch game.

We also enjoyed our brief wander around the town of Rotorua (the thermal center of NZ) and its puddles, pools and lakes of steaming mud. There’s a really nice park with some cool buildings, and a number of neat little places to eat. We weren’t super psyched about the constant touch of sulfur in the air, but you get used to it after a bit.