NOW YOU KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

Well the miracle didnt happen for us in the Georgia v Argentina game but we did get a tiny little bit of false hope when the Georgians were ahead, was never gonna happen though. At least it has now allowed me to start enjoying the rugby and watch other people feeling exactly the same way that we did for most of the tournament. More on that later.

Had a very quiet week in Auckland after having a Super Sunday with Ronnie and Dave on the last day of the pool matches. 4 games of rugby back to back, with the NRL Grand Final between (peter) Manly and the NZ Warriors as well, add in $7 massive bottles of export and you have a very enjoyable afternoon. After that I decided that chilling in Auckland was the way forward.

One of the best ways to chill in Auckland is to go to Kelly Tarltons Antarctic World (see what I did there, chilling, the Antarctic, clever eh) and see some Penguins. Penguins, as I'm sure Neil will agree, are the greatest. So spent a nice day there learning a bit about the penguins and also the expeditions to the South Pole.

As you may or may not have read on Facebook I hired a bike for a day as well, cycled a 10k trail out and then the same 10k back and decided to hike it up Mt Eden as well, great day out, suffered a bit the day after though. Trying to get down from a top bunk in a dorm is never a graceful sight, but trying to do it with the knees of a 90 yr old man make it even uglier.

Again, those following on Facebook will have seen the horrible bolognaise incident from Base when my food went missing. I have given Base a miserable review on the Hostelbookers website, such was my bitterness.

So that was the midweek in Auckland gearing up for the weekend of the Quarter Finals. Watched the Ireland v Wales game in the Queen's Wharf fanzone with a heap of Irish guys. "Now you know what it feels like". They were going mental during the game. Gordon D'Arcy took a pasting. "What did you fooking stop for, you fooking Dublin muppet" the guy from behind be was heard to say, I dont think he was from Dublin, the guy behind me that is, not D'Arcy. Then it was on to an English pub to watch the England v France game.

With a French flag painted on my face and with the Irish guys I'd watched their game with and a couple of Scots in tow we felt obliged to sing or "lalalalalla" along with Le Marseilles. This was also the pub where I was introduced to the Smeaton Bomb, a bit of an irony that it was an English pub. Anyway, the result gave the Scots among us yet more opportunity to peddle out that they now knew how we felt.

Sunday was a quieter affair, watching the Quarter Finals with a couple of bottles of Peroni, really wanted the Aussies to win as the Springboks are so turgid and dull. Then there was the inevitable All Blacks win.

Have headed up North from Auckland now to Paihia, which is a sort of tropical paradise, came here to get some sun. For the first two days it's chucked it down with rain although today looks like it's gonna be a scorcher. The hostel has a Hot Tub which is happy times, even in the rain. Back to Auckland on Sunday in time to head to the fanzone for the All Blacks v Wallabies game, I think I want the Wallabies to win.

Anyway, that was a bit of a long ramble, congratulations to anyone who managed to read through it, hope you haven't lost the will to live. Take care all.