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We ended up staying 5 days in this area. Here we had our first two rugby games, Ireland vs USA and Russia vs USA. What fun! Todd was interested in surf hwy 45, but unfortunately the weather was horrible! The sell was huge, which is normally good, but the wind and rain made it sloppy. Before arriving into New Plymouth we stopped at this organic brewery right out of town called mikes. We pulled into the gravel driveway with beautiful flowering trees and the flowers were the size of my head, no joke! Upon arrival we saw the parking lot full of campers with Irish flags in them and we knew we were in the right place. Todd started a conversation with a guy named Sean who is actually from Buffalo, NY. He was traveling with his wife Bobbi and what a nice couple. We hung out with them for the rest of the night and ran into another Buffalonian Bruce (who we went to all the other games with). We had great seats for both of the games. It really is amazing to feel the excitement in the air and be close enough to see the sweat dripping from the players faces. I have grown to really love this game and have a large respect for its players. However, for a four pack of Heineken it was…ready for this….. $40!!! I couldn’t believe the prices of things at the game, New Zealand is a bit pricy as it is, but that is ridiculous! After the first game we went to a local bar with our Irish camping neighbors and this wonderful older gentleman came up and started talking to all of us. What an wonderful animated local (when he laughed, which was quite often his bottom jaw moved up and down as if he were talking) We got to know him very well and he is a very influential dairy farmer in the country. Unfortunately, his wife of 53 years had passed away just 3 weeks prior, so we hung out with him for a few days and cooked him some good homemade dinners. As we were sitting over dinner he mentioned that his granddaughter had lived in Costa Rica and married a Nicaraguan. I was thinking to myself what are the odds of either Todd or I knowing them. As soon as Todd looked at a photo of the couple he recognized him. It just so happened that there was a birthday party so we all went and met them. Sure enough Todd use to surf with Edger (the Nicaraguan)! Between the meeting folks from Buffalo and Costa Rica……what a small world, really! Edger is starting a goat farm. We learned so much about the dairy industry here in NZ, very interesting. Mt. Taranaki finally became clear on our last days there, it is a beautiful volcano that has great skiing and hikes. Unfortunately we couldn’t do any of the smaller hikes because of the bad weather, but then again you can’t win them all, especially with it being spring in NZ!
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New Plymouth was our first spot for World Cup Rugby and we went into it with great expectations. It did not disappoint, besides the weather….that did not let up our entire time- rainy, cold, and the Tasman Sea was angry. Its in fact on of New Zealand’s wettest spots. The Texas of New Zealand NP relies upon the fact of the land (dairy farming) and the off shore oil. Apparently named “surf Highway 45 snakes down its perimeter and serves as an enviable location for us to spend nearly a week (because of the weather I got skunked!) Last but not least is Mt. Taranaki, which dominates the landscape as a 2,520 meter volcanic cone. Snow topped still and an eye magnet it humbles all who gaze up her. Interesting as well, for film buffs, it doubled as Mt. Fuji in Tom Cruises movie The Last Samurai (2003). We arrived to the town in spectacular fashion, first visiting a micro-brewery that was just out of town. First person I spoke to while sampling some surfs turns out to be from Buffalo and is fraternity brothers with a guy I wrestled with, and my dad coached. Awesome- we immediately attained some partners in crime and it was on! We parked at a Holiday site south of town and a few vehicles down was a mobil home full of 6 Irish men, some how we ended up with them for an hour and it was my first exposure to Irish culture, accents, and humor. Much to my delight I felt that I found some long lost brothers. Off we went to New Plymouth for a big pre- celebration, the night before the match. The second biggest surprise was meeting ANOTHER Buffalo man during the night. The three of us upped the ante and the night became a blur. Over the course of the week we explored the coast line, watched the U.S. loose to the Irish but win over Russia, and met a charming 70 something year old man, who three weeks prior lost his wife of 53yrs….my hear ached for him and I shed tears after our first encounter. As genuine as it gets we ran into him again at the local pub and proceeded to cook him dinner twice and park in his driveway one night. Ironically (long story) his granddaughter is married to a Nicaraguan, who she met in Costa Rica, that I used to surf with! We went to her birthday party and Edger and I got re-acquainted… speaking in Spanish and sharing some laughs. Small world indeed. Summed up- New Plymouth turned into a place to meet 2 fellow Buffalonians and a Costa Rican friend- Unbelievable really yet, ITS TRUE!
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