The Pre-Glusker Entry (First Two Weeks)
Today’s the day. Our 3-man apartment in Wellington is finally getting its fourth and final member, Sam Glusker. While I’ve only been here for 12 days, and Noah and Regan a little over 2 weeks, we all agree that it feels like way longer. Over the past two weeks, we’ve been busy settling in, learning new rugby playstyles, and even getting our first caps for Poneke.
I arrived on the morning of Thursday, May 15th. Despite being in transit for over 24 hours and losing a full day due to time difference, my exhaustion was thwarted by the excitement of arriving in New Zealand’s capital city. I met Regan in the lobby and followed him up to our unit on the fourth floor of our building, where I was greeted by Noah. In their first few days, Regan and Noah had done some exploring around the city, settled into our apartment, and learned some valuable lessons about life in New Zealand. After unpacking my belongings, I was filled in on some of these lessons, such as how to use the bus system and what there is to do around our apartment.
The rest of the day was spent getting my bearings, walking down to the beach (only about ten minutes from our apartment), and going grocery shopping. Around 5, we went to my first practice. After taking the bus down to the clubhouse, I was taken aback by the facilities, such as full locker rooms, a gym, a kitchen/bar, and an indoor practice room. We waited in the locker room until practice began. While Regan and Noah had been to a practice on Tuesday, I had a chance to meet most of the players and coaches before practice. After a pre-practice meeting, we dove into practice, which, for me, consisted mainly of learning complex lineout calls, getting used to the rapid speed of play, and understanding the flow of the 2-4-2 scheme that the team uses, as opposed to the 1-3-3-1 scheme that I was used to. Practice went great, and I crashed immediately afterwards.
Friday was relatively uneventful, but was capped off with a fun excursion to see the Hurricanes, Wellington’s Super Rugby team. We waved our complimentary flags as the Hurricanes fought all 80 minutes, reeling in a last-minute try to seal the game against the Highlanders. Saturday brought even more rugby, as we headed down to Kilbirnie Park to watch the Colts in their game against Tawa. While we weren’t yet playing this week, we spent the day observing how the team plays and sticking around for some bonding with the team after the game. It felt great to continue to get to know our teammates and begin to build chemistry. The following week was full of hikes, excursions, and practice. On Monday night, we had dinner with a local family who generously fed us and gave us some great advice on living in Wellington and recommendations on places to go and things to do. Unsurprisingly, Wellington is packed full of amazing views, activities, and culture. Over the course of the week, the three of us ventured to Mt. Victoria, which divides Wellington in two. We also took the famous streetcar up to mountaintop botanical gardens. I even went on a solo adventure through Central Park, which overlooks the city and the harbour.
In terms of rugby, we finally saw our chance to get involved this week. On Tuesday, we took part in a variety of drills, from passing to tackling to team play. Thursday was similar to the week before, except this time the three of us spent our time getting reps with the first team. Following pizza after practice on Thursday, we were confident and ready for Saturday. On Saturday morning, we boarded the bus to Johnsonville, ready to make a statement. In our playtime, on a field set in the hills north of Wellington, we adjusted back into our 15s pattern. I had a few dominant carries, Noah “played hungry,” and Regan almost scored a try. Overall, we all left following the 55-5 win feeling great about how we played, eager to continue to get involved the rest of the season.
On Sunday, we sought active recovery through our coolest hike yet, Mt. Kaukau. We bused about a half hour north and hiked to the summit of the mountain, where strong winds jostled us around as we took in the panoramic view of the North island, even seeing silhouettes of the South Island landscape in the distance. We stayed until the sun began to set, observing the stars through the treetops on our way down. On Monday, we went to the Wellington Museum, where we learned about the fascinating nautical and cultural history of the country’s capital. Today, we wait eagerly for our final roommate to arrive, where a brand new New Zealand experience awaits.
