I definitely wasn't a big fan of the EDM beats and constant hype man on stage during the Chase and Status's act, but the crowd definitely seemed to enjoy the uh, music. We got in right when the gates opened at 4 so the first part of the afternoon was spent mostly in bean bag chairs enjoying the afternoon and free food provided by Nandos. Next year though I'll definitely go a bit later. You know, when the bands actually arrive. After that a group of us went back to 55 Symonds and hung out a while before finally calling it a night.
The next day, I experienced my first Rugby game. Auckland Blues versus Waikato Chiefs. Together with Hardeep, a local from Waikato, we set off to Eden park just 30 minutes walk from campus. Luckily, it was enough time for those of us from Denmark, the United States, and Indonesia to quickly absorb the basic rules of Rugby. We stopped briefly at a small Sichuan noodle place Hart recommended for dinner bringing the total for dinner and a night at a major sporting event to just over $30 nzd. That still boggles my mind. General admission tickets to the game were around $25 and were great seats!
While the Chiefs did eventually win, I think I'll have to be a Blues supporter. Since I'm primarily in Auckland I think the allegiance makes the most sense. Also, unfortunately not pictured, whenever the Blues scored at Eden Park massive flame jets would burst from the sideline in spectacular pyrotechnic glory. It was a fantastic game and I'm hoping to join Harrison for the next Blues home game towards the end of March.
The craziest thing about this Rugby league (Super Rugby) is how each conference is a different country. There's the Australian Conference, South African Conference, and the New Zealand Conference. A league that spans continents and draws support the world over. I'm wondering if my enthusiasm will remain once I'm back state side but right now I'm seriously considering buying a Blues jersey...
On Saturday we did a lot of walking around the Lantern Festival in the Domain, a beautiful park that houses the War museum, after grabbing coffee near where Harrison lived last semester. We also started to plan a trip to the bay of Islands so stay tuned for that one, might even stay in the same hotel I was in with my parents! With a sunset time of around 7:58, after spending a few hours touring the Festival and viewing some awesome Wing Chun demonstrations, we decided we had enough time to try and watch the sunset from Mt. Eden, a dormant Volcano located just a short walk away and one of the highest points in the city. Unfortunately it was a little cloudy, but the views were no less incredible and we stayed up there until well after the sun went down.
Sunday, we rested. I took the time to get some homework started so I'd have more time next weekend for whatever trip we decide upon and watched a little TV. A group of us had plans to catch the fireworks at the Lantern Festival and all agreed the lanterns might look even cooler at night. We grabbed dinner at some of the food tents and hung out for a couple hours waiting for the fireworks to start and walked around some of the most beautiful displays I've ever seen.
I took pictures of trees filled with lantern - vegetables, lantern - birds, and other displays of dragons or the zodiac. There was Karaoke, desserts, toys, it was incredible!
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