Thursday, October 20, 2011

A mission to the Fan Zone

Friday 14th October


The day dawned sunny and bright, so we made our way to Mission Bay, which is along the coast, a little from the centre of Auckland, and is one of the most popular (and lovely) city beaches. We had a delicious brunch in The Mission Bay Cafe before heading into town to look at the Fanzone.

 Sage advice indeed!

Something we have found here is that people in officialdom tend to be much more human and pragmatic than their counterparts in the UK. For example, despite telling us that we could not take the car close to the Fanzone as the roads were closed in preparation for the matches over the weekend, a very gentle appeal to the guard’s better nature resulted in a U turn and off we went. It has to be said that the Kiwis have done an amazing job of preparing for the World Cup (although I understand there were some teething problems initially) and the Fanzone is really a great place to be. In addition to the giant rugby ball (of which more tomorrow), there is a large stage area with constant live bands, lots and lots of different food opportunities, a large indoor bar and viewing area, and The Cloud, an area showcasing a wide range of New Zealand delights, from food and drink to wacky and surprising inventions.

 The most precious thing in the world - with a fake!

From there we returned to the Northern Steamship, and then drove to The Flying Moa, where we were due to return the SatNav which Sarah’s colleague had so kindly lent us.


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