We left Mike and Gay's place after breakfast and drove into Auckland. It was a lovely, sunny day and too early to check into the hotel so we decided to go and see the view from Mount Eden which we had been told is well worth seeing. The sat nav threw a bit of a wobbly and took us round the same area 3 times without actually taking us to Mount Eden itself. When we were passing the prison for the 3rd time we decided to go it alone and find our own way. We eventually turned up a road which purported to lead to the viewing point and suddenly found ourselves on a very narrow, steep track with a huge drop on one side. There were no passing places and we couldn't tell if it was one way or not!

It was a great relief when we emerged safe and sound at the top and we both agree that the view of Auckland was indeed breathtaking from up there, although Amanda really does not feel comfortable with such steep drops on every side! We are so lucky to have been there on a sunny day and able to enjoy and get the full benefit of the 360 degree view. We took a walk around the rim of the volcano which last erupted about 15,000 years ago and is considered to be a sacred place.

We checked into our hotel and spent a leisurely afternoon before setting off to Eden Park. We spotted the Welsh team in the bar before we left (not drinking, of course!) and realised they must be staying at the same hotel as us. We called out 'good luck' and were rewarded with smiles and thanks.

On arrival at the ground we made our way to the same lounge on Level 3 where we had been for the quarter finals and met the same stewards and servers we had seen then. It was like greeting old friends!! We had decided to give the Eden Park Pavilion a miss for this game and do some more casual, stand up hospitality. It was the best choice we have ever made. We had a wonderful evening in a great lounge with a good open view instead of pitch dark like the Pavilion. It was not at all crowded, probably less than a hundred people there. The food was good and the wine flowed freely. Even better, we were supplied with pies, water and alcoholic drinks to take into the ground (nothing like that in the Eden Park Pavilion!) and able to go back into the lounge at half time to use the bathrooms and get more drinks ... really great service and what we would have hoped for/ expected in the EPP.

We had good seats and the game was tense and exciting. Wales always looked like they should be able to scrape a win, but somehow never did, the story of their tournament! Back at the hotel we entered the lift at the ground floor and were play fighting and being generally silly when suddenly the lift door opened at the 3rd floor and there stood Bill Beaumont, ex England international and now of the IRB (I swear that guy is following us around as he has been at all of our hotels!) and his wife plus two other couples all dressed up for some smart function. He said, 'Are we interrupting something?' and we all had a good laugh ... how embarrassing!!