As I recovered from the All Black placing in the Final my mind turned to other pressing matters. Shortly before the weekend of the Semi Final the people of the Bay of Plenty were devastated to discover a container ship (The Rena) had crashed into a small reef in the harbour. It was said to be like hitting a needle in a hay stack and bought up many questions about the piloting of vessels into NZ harbours.
Over the subsequent days the wild winds thrashed The Rena making it impossible to recover the boat in one piece. It was leaking oil and some of the containers were propelled off into the bay leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. I decided to join my good friend Nikki's family in The Bay to offer my beach cleaning skills.
I had had very sad news from the London camp early in the week also. My friend René's best friend from school days had taken his own life. I had enjoyed some of my best London moments with Tom and his girlfriend Laura including jiving to Calvin Harris back in July shortly before I left town. Making sense of it all just couldn't be done.
I took the bus down to Tauranga bright and early on Thursday morning. We were delayed with a broken down bus...the alternative was a double decker. I can assure you travelling in NZ on a double decker bus is a recommended way to travel - when its not windy!
When I arrived in Tauranga Nikki told me our beach cleaning duties were not required as it was too rough. We went down to see what we could see and it was clear that nothing much was achievable with the weather. The containers had been lifted off the beach and all the residual waste removed. I was able to enjoy lunch with Nikki's gathered family instead. With too much energy and some tears to shed Niks and I took to The Mount to get a better view of the beach and to thrash it out.
I was privileged to share the evening with Nikki and her wonderful parents. We took to the road early the next day to make it back to Auckland in time for the Plate Final.
We stopped off en-route at Waikato Hospital HDU where Nikki's little sister Anna Joy had spent time 6 months previously whilst suffering from an aggressive brain tumour. Nikki and her family had baked some fudge and put together a care package for other families who they knew would be caring for their loved ones over the Holiday weekend. See it was a Labour weekend for New Zealanders but for the people in the HDU time would stand still. It was heart warming to see the compassion shared and the road Nikki and her family was taking to come to terms with their loss.
Back in Auckland we gathered back at Nikki and Shane's to enjoy some time with the gathering crowds - this time for the Hawkes Bay and Japan. We made our way into town for the Plate final of Wales v Australia. Initially trying to see the game at The Cloud in the Fan Zone we ended up in the Viaduct haunt of The Foxes. Disappointed by the Welsh loss we took to the elbow bending to make up for it. We had a great night and we met some real characters - from old Varsity mates, Tana Umanga walked through the bar, Richard Lowe and his family were at the next table and Richie McCaws old boss. What a hangover.
Thankfully I had a day to recover for the Final! We headed to the Auckland Museum to see the William Webb Ellis Trophy and have a few photos before it was handed over the next day. And as I settled in for an early night catching up with London, I had the best news of the week and that which would make for one of the best weekends of my life.
Nikki and Shane had got engaged!
For all those effected by the topics of this post please refer to your local help. Here are some people I know are awesome.
New Zealand - Youthline or Lifeline
United Kingdom - The Samaritans (one of my old workmates is often at the end of the phones here...and he is brilliant!)
Over the subsequent days the wild winds thrashed The Rena making it impossible to recover the boat in one piece. It was leaking oil and some of the containers were propelled off into the bay leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. I decided to join my good friend Nikki's family in The Bay to offer my beach cleaning skills.
I had had very sad news from the London camp early in the week also. My friend René's best friend from school days had taken his own life. I had enjoyed some of my best London moments with Tom and his girlfriend Laura including jiving to Calvin Harris back in July shortly before I left town. Making sense of it all just couldn't be done.
I took the bus down to Tauranga bright and early on Thursday morning. We were delayed with a broken down bus...the alternative was a double decker. I can assure you travelling in NZ on a double decker bus is a recommended way to travel - when its not windy!
When I arrived in Tauranga Nikki told me our beach cleaning duties were not required as it was too rough. We went down to see what we could see and it was clear that nothing much was achievable with the weather. The containers had been lifted off the beach and all the residual waste removed. I was able to enjoy lunch with Nikki's gathered family instead. With too much energy and some tears to shed Niks and I took to The Mount to get a better view of the beach and to thrash it out.
 |
| Mount Maunganui beach after the Rena oil spill from the top of the Mount, October 2011 |
We stopped off en-route at Waikato Hospital HDU where Nikki's little sister Anna Joy had spent time 6 months previously whilst suffering from an aggressive brain tumour. Nikki and her family had baked some fudge and put together a care package for other families who they knew would be caring for their loved ones over the Holiday weekend. See it was a Labour weekend for New Zealanders but for the people in the HDU time would stand still. It was heart warming to see the compassion shared and the road Nikki and her family was taking to come to terms with their loss.
Back in Auckland we gathered back at Nikki and Shane's to enjoy some time with the gathering crowds - this time for the Hawkes Bay and Japan. We made our way into town for the Plate final of Wales v Australia. Initially trying to see the game at The Cloud in the Fan Zone we ended up in the Viaduct haunt of The Foxes. Disappointed by the Welsh loss we took to the elbow bending to make up for it. We had a great night and we met some real characters - from old Varsity mates, Tana Umanga walked through the bar, Richard Lowe and his family were at the next table and Richie McCaws old boss. What a hangover.
 |
| Me with the William Webb Ellis Trophy |
Nikki and Shane had got engaged!
For all those effected by the topics of this post please refer to your local help. Here are some people I know are awesome.
New Zealand - Youthline or Lifeline
United Kingdom - The Samaritans (one of my old workmates is often at the end of the phones here...and he is brilliant!)
MissinG you. Sad news about rene's mate and the oil spill xx
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