Last legs - tour tales

Posted on June 19, 2015 by I <3 Nix

The round of 16 kicked off for us at home in Wellington where we saw Ghana take on Mali and USA play Colombia.  Dale promised that if Ghana were winning at 80 minutes he would spend the final 10 minutes dancing to an African beat.  Unfortunately it wasn't to be and Mali took out the match 3-0.  In between games I had my heart broken.  Hungary were my favourites and to go out the way they did was tough.  I really feel for the poor kid who scored that own goal, I don't think he could do it again if he tried!  USA v Colombia was well contested which USA took out 1-0.  Again, we were a little disappointed.  After seeing a few prior Colombian games I had become a fan - mostly due to the passion of their fans (in their support, not in bed).

A day trip to Hamilton to see the Junior All Whites was in order to catch the Round of 16 match against Portugal.  I'm not sure if the boys were more excited about introducing the ham bap to our Wellington friends that made the trip, or the prospect of the team making the Quarter Finals.

To be honest, I am not sure any of us believed that we would make the quarters but we hoped we wouldn't get thrashed.  To walk away slightly disppointed that we didn't win was a strange feeling after our low expectations at the start.  I for one am super proud of how the team performed in that game and believe they should hold their heads high. 

We made the journey home (via Levin Roast) on Friday to spend a whopping 5 nights in our own beds before jetting off for the last section of our journey.  Sunday also saw the quarter final in Wellington. The only match of the round that didn't go to death strikes saw Senegal make it through to the semi-final, beating Uzbekistan 1-0.

On Wednesday we ditched the car and set off to Auckland by plane for the final stretch.  We were treated once again to a VIP experience.  The standard of dress/"importance" of people was much higher than in New Plymouth and Fred and myself are now friends after bonding over bread rolls and butter.  The food was not of the same standard as New Plymouth, in fact it didn't really come close. So congrats New Plymouth.

The majority of the crowd seemed to be backing Mali, except for the entire bay of Serbian supporters. They chanted most of the night, only silenced momentarily when Mali equalised.  As we were leaving the ground (around an hour or so after final whistle) we heard the Serbian lads leaving the ground on the team bus and they were in full voice.

We're on a rest and relaxation retreat in Paihia at the moment.  That's probably a bit of a stretch but not having to be anywhere at any specific time, and not having to drive hours to get there, has been pretty nice.  We spent a couple of hours in hot pools yesterday at a little settlement about 30 minutes inland from Paihia.  Totally random spot, but $5 entry for 2 hours relaxation time was great value.  We all agree that if you're in the area you should check out Ginn Ngawha Springs.

Today we went on a guided tour of the Treaty grounds at Waitangi. Our guide was awesome - the right mix of informative and hilarious.  Well worth it.  Then we took the ferry across to Russell and wandered up the hill to the flagstaff.  Not before having lunch at Sally's which was recommended to us by a fellow ferry passenger.

The 1000 piece puzzle at our accomodation has beaten us and I'm super frustrated by it.  I might try and fit a few more pieces in before we have to leave in the morning.

Back to the football tomorrow for the final two games.  I'm kind of sad that the trip is coming to an end, but I don't think I'll miss being teased by the boys.

Until next time - Ciao.

Comments

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about 16 years
First Team Squad
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Appiah without the pace
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Can we appreciate that I managed to get this on the FIFA website....

"We're a Wellington Phoenix supporters group, fairly shambolic and totally unofficial," 

WeeNix
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about 11 years

Solid effort guys. Just out of curiosity how many Ks did you clock up?

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KG19 wrote:

Solid effort guys. Just out of curiosity how many Ks did you clock up?

Stay tuned for a "by the numbers" blog coming in the next few days

Listen here Fudgeface
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about 14 years

I [quote=KG19 wrote:

Solid effort guys. Just out of curiosity how many Ks did you clock up?

[/quote]

Stay tuned for a "by the numbers" blog coming in the next few days

5 cheeky savs?
Hidden by 2ndBest June 24, 2020 09:26
Trialist
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almost 4 years

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