Each summer, Michigan Rugby sends one or two select players to New Zealand to train with our partner club, Poneke FC. Shea Loughnane and Luke Zana are there now, and Luke is writing about his experiences abroad each week. This post concerns May 11-17.
Week two saw us settle down a bit, including finding more permanent housing! After over a week in the hostel, Shea and I moved in with three English players on the team, who are here on their gap year. We found a “flat” with three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. We spent a couple of days furnishing it, using the car the English guys own to pick up discount furniture, mattresses, and household essentials.
In addition to moving in, I did an amazing 6-mile hike just north of the city. The top was above the treeline and offered sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. Because Wellington receives so much rain, even the high grasslands were a deep green, and the sheep that were grazing gave it a Scottish countryside feel. Below the treeline, the forest is very dense, and the ferns from which the All Blacks get their logo can be seen all over.
Saturday this week was a big day, as it was the first Poneke home game Shea and I got to see, and the Hurricanes (the Super Rugby team from Wellington) also had a home game. Poneke suffered a tough loss, but the Hurricanes had a dominant win over Moana Pacifica. Just a few games are left before the playoffs of Super Rugby and the Hurricanes are shaping up to be decent contenders, so there’s a lot of excitement around that.
This week I also got the chance to try a lot of local restaurants. An interesting difference between the New Zealand and United States restaurant scene is that here even at fancy restaurants you pay at the counter up front, and a great deal have you order there as well. This makes it way easier to split a check, but means the service isn’t always as good, as they staff fewer waiters. Regardless of service, we went to a delicious Indian restaurant, Great India, and a fun pasta joint, 1154 Pastaria. This week offered our first real glimpse at what our summer might look like on a day to day basis, and was really enjoyable. I’m looking forward to getting an opportunity to play soon, as my clearance from USA rugby is supposed to come through any day now.
