Day 10 - Sunday 4th April

As the 6 of us awoke this morning (alex, Tamara, Mel, Tayla, Nikki and myself) to the knocking of Bianca, Courtney, Kirsten and Kate, we faced the harsh reality that today was the day we headed back to our beloved 'land down under'.

We ended our evening last night playing cards with the rugby boys - clearly dominating them - and then heading back to our rooms where we continued our discussions, eventually snoozing off.

Most of us rose at about 7.30am this morning and some then heading down to Starbucks and Maccas for a morning pick-me-up. Later, when all of our bags were packed and it was time to check out, you can imagine the excitement of Nicole, Mel, Tamara and myself when we had to wait 20 minutes to catch the elevator, only to discover we had in fact gout out on the wrong floor. We then waited a further 10 minutes for the lift so that we could try again.

After we had finally all grouped, checked out properly and played 'Bag Tetris', we walked to the Auckland Sky Tower - the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere with a height of 328m . The Sky Tower has a main viewing deck of which we all got our first 360 degree view of the city. It was incredible and slightly unnerving. Part of the main deck are glass floor panels which are apparently as strong as concrete, I'm not so sure!!!

Following we all went up to the next level to have Brunch in the revolving restaurant where we ate delicious meals such as eggs benedict, mixed grills and french toast and watched people brave the 'Sky Jump'.

After breakfast on our way to the airport, we made a quick stop over at Mt Eden - a giant volcanic crater and beautiful lookout.

Finally, after a great morning, we reluctantly headed for the airport where we checked in, passed through security where Alex was randomly tested for narcotics and Kate for any hidden liquids or gases and made our way arund the duty-free shopping. Now as I sit here on the place as it is just about to take off for home, I can definitely say that we have all had such a fantastic holiday and that it will always be remembered!!!

Emma S.

Day 9 - Saturday 3rd April

An interesting start to the second last day, followed from an interesting night. Whilst settling in for the right after some highly competitive rounds of cards, we were shocked to find we had a visitor - our new French friend, Celine, had scared us half to death as none of us were expecting her to be sharing our room. But not only us got the surprise, as she came to get her bags, she was greeted by 6 stunned girls, who were quite shocked as well.

The next morning was quite eventful as Ms Derrington had a throwdown with the parking attendant, who tried to rip us off but she pulled out her cards and we got through victorious - he is quite scared of us now.

Off to Mt Roskill Grammar and the bus was full of pump up music with a few hardcore cheers. Being our last game on tour, it was all or nothing and our girls went hard. We exploded on the court with our pre-game warcry and when the whistle blew, it began with a bang. It was goal for goal in the first and second quarters. Hitting the third quarter hard, Tamara (Player of the Match) with her intercepts and the defensive pressure stooped MRGS in their tracks. This enabled us to get the edge going into the fourth quarter. MRGS fired a few quick goals in the last quarter, giving them the lead - this tested our determination and fortitude. However, they were too strong for us in the end as we had met our match.

This game was definitely one of our best on tour with intensity and good sportsmanship from both teams. MRGS provided an amazing lunch and after the formalities, we proceeded to Trusts Stadium to watch an ANZ Championship match between Mystics and Magic. GO MAGICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What an epic game and the Magic won 55-46!!! I have never witnessed a match with so much enthusiasm and energy from the crowd - and yes, some of the girls lost their voices. It was incredible to see Irene Van Dyk shoot with Casey Williams (the insane GK - WOW) and the tough Centre court player. These were just some of our favourite players. What a great experience - after the match, we raced for signatures to cover our posters with.

Whilst travelling around and sight-seeing, we agreed that Auckland reminds us a lot of Sydney. Lesson for criggalls - if you use your mobile phone at the petrol station, you will soon find yourself busless!!!!

After a 9-day solid search for fish & chips with many close calls, we have finally found one open - the bus was stoked!!!! And we know it is not peak Netball playing food, it was so worth it, eating by the Marina.

Kate H.

Day 8 - Friday 2nd April

The day started off bright and early at 9.45am as we said goodbye to our new friend, Terry, at Stadium Motel in Hamilton. We set off on our 2 hour bus ride back to Auckland, which ended up as another musical trip - enjoyable for Mr Riggall and Ms Derrington!!!

After 2 hours of non-stop singing, we finally arrived with the teachers eager to stop somewhere for a break - a break from driving, not our fabulous singing of course!!! We stopped at North Head, Devenport for some pictures and to have lunch. North Head was used as naval barracks during World War 1 and World War 2. Furthermore, we also found out that they had to relocate the kitchens because they kept setting them on fire due to its wooden structure. The view across the harbour of Auckland was amazing and very relaxing.

As we departed North Head, we came across a magnificent lookout called Cyril Basset VC Lookout - dedicated to the only NZ soldier awarded the Victorian Cross medal for services during World War 1. Before we left, we spotted the cutest dog that apparently looked like 'Garfield', according to Bianca....even though Garfield is a cat!!!

We drove off to our next accommodation, The Base Auckland, which is a backpackers located in the heart of Auckland City. We got ready to look for fish & chips to enjoy at the Marina. Funnily enough, there were no stores that sold fish and chips!!!! So we resorted to our favourite options - McDonalds and Subway.

Looking forward to tomorrow's game v Mt Roskill Grammar and seeing loved ones on Sunday night at Brisbane Airport.

Nicole L.

Day 7 - Thursday 1st April

It was an early start to the Netball girls day - first they went to the Hamilton Netball courts. A training session with Nicola Brown (ex-Magic Netball player and current NZ Womens Cricket player and fastest female bowler in the world), in which she took us through a variety of ball skill games and passed on valuable advice, from her experience of playing Netball at a high level.

An 1 hr later, the girls departed the courts, enjoyed lunch and showered before travelling to Westfield Hamilton where they had a lot of fun shopping and enjoying local food. Unfortunately, our scheduled game against St Pauls Collegiate was cancelled today. In the afternoon, the girls had another training session, which included drills, fitness and fun team games. Two teams were included - Courtney, Kate, Alex and Tayla against Melanie, Tamara, Kirsten and Emma - with only 1 point separating in the winning team (Tayla's team). It was a friendly competition, with some cheating involved by both teams. We finished with a 200m challenge race, with athletic Kirsten going for another 200m race with Mr Riggall - he was victorious!!!!!!!!!!!!

We headed back for our team meeting, showers and dinner - dinner tonight is bangers and mash, with spaghetti and spring rolls. We are having a great time with our Netball and watching Disney Channel!!!!

Looking forward to our next game on Saturday and putting our training work into practice.

Tayla G.
:)

Day 6 - Wednesday 31st March

As the end of our stay in Taupo come to a close, it was time to depart for our next destination, Hamilton. After a short game of neucombe and shooting knockout, we travelled on the bus for 1.5 hours up to our third stop of the tour.

Checking into Stadium Motel was next, before jumping back on the bus and travelling to Waikato Diocesean Girls School. Before starting our game, we enjoyed a quick tour of the school grounds and visited their Hall of Sport Fame, being amazed by their diverse range of sports offered at the school, such as canoe polo and diving. Next we had our warm-up and took to the court. Unfortunately, we did not play to the best of our abilities, losing 22-15. While we were all disappointed, we ended the afternoon with a friendly afternoon tea with the opposition girls.

On the way back to our accommodation, we made a quick stop for a group grocery shop, and were very budget conscience. We ended the night with a team meeting, eating nachos and, of course, watching some more Disney Channel.

Quote of the day "heavy feet, wet skin".

Kirsten G.

Day 5 - Tuesday 30th March - Taupo

The girls ended last night with a relaxing four hours of team bonding (which did not include a 7 hour hike) but did include group massages, ANZ championship matches and hair braiding.

The morning we enjoyed a well-needed sleep-in, mae our own breakfast and laughed at Courtney, Mel, Nikki and Kirsten, wondering why there was a bowl of mince at their front door. We drove through town and had one of our best training sessions to date, with us all gelling together as a team, working on court play and played awesome games.

After our training we hoped on the bus and had an enjoyable trip singing Bon Jovi songs to Huka Falls and Aratiatia. We saw the waterfalls, the water gates to the dam opening, Mr Riggall's bad parking skills and the team finished with an icebath in the lake streams.

Following another short drive and a speed change, we headed into town for an afternoon of lunch and shopping. After a massive walk to get fish & chips, we discovered the shop was closed today!!!!! Instead, we had chip sandwiches, fed the birds and had the rest of the afternoon for shopping and free time.

Tonight we are looking forward to cooking another dinner for ourselves - but we don't want to leave this place!!!

Bianca P.

Day 4 - Monday 29th March - Rotorua & Taupo

Tamara and I (Courtney A.) woke at 6.50am and woke the rest of the girls at 7.10am (like normal). We enjoyed a fantastic cooked breakfast with pancakes, bacon and toast. We went back to the rooms, packed and loaded the bus - loading the big bags into the bus is like a game of Tetris!!

When arriving at the Sky Gondala, we decided to replace our pre-arranged Huka Jet Boat (now cancelled) with a ride on the thrilling Sky Swing. The faces on the girls was hilarious to watch from the ground!!!

We then went over to the Luge ride. We all enjoyed the Scenic route first (compulsory) and some decided to brave the advanced route.....twice. The speed collected allowed us to get air when travelling down some of the steeper hills. Don't worry families - no one fell off and everyone had a helmet on. After the Luge, it gave the girls a chance for more soveniur shopping.

Subway was lunch again and we decided to eat at a pleasant rest stop on the way to Lake Taupo. We arrived mid-afternoon (short drive from Rotorua), allocated new room mates and went grocery shopping for our next two dinners and breakfasts. This was followed by a team run along Lake Taupo.

Now, after swimming in a 39 degree pool, we are hanging around, watching TV and just chillin'.

Courtney A.

Day 3 - Sunday 28th March - Hungi concert

The tour bus arrived and we all piled on. The tour guide chose a 'chief' to lead our bus of people at the village. Mr Fairbain was chosen as our leader. On arrival, he faced some scary warriors in the welcoming ceremony - the ceremony was a traditional dance of the indigenous people. During this time, we learnt about their weapons, carvings and tattoos, befor4e gathering inside to watch another performance which featured dances of the Mauvi people. It was amazing!!! Especially the haka which scared all of us.

The hungi feast was next and we all devoured our food with the majority going back for seconds and even thirds (even Mr Fairbain). The traditionally cooked food included chicken, lamb, fish, mussels, bread, carrots, potato and kumaua. Unfortunately, no pumpkin :( Desert consisted of pavlova and chocolate pudding, which was great. Apparently NZ pavlova was good but not as good as back home. Mr Fairbain was then presented with a token of gratitude for being our 'chief' and we all held hands and sung "This is the hour".

Back on the bus, we sang songs to represent our countries. Waltzing Matilda & We are Australian were sung along with randitions of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and songs from the Lion King.

The night was long and exciting - we arrived back to Kiwipaka and headed off for a well-deserved sleep.

Courtney A.

Day 3 - Sunday 28th March

Grammar Lions tour is going on with great enthusiasm so far in New Zealand. Today the day started off with myself (Alex P) and Emma S waking up to the guitar alarm on her phone. Both grunting, we decided to fall asleep without any arguments - you could say that we were rundown.

After breakfast, the girls packed their backpacks with all our essentials ready to hit the courts at 9.30am again today. Winning one of our two games "us Aussies", as the Kiwis call us, thanked us for coming to their tournament and clapped us all before we left to come back to our accommodation - Kiwipaka.The two teams that played in the fianl were incredible. The McLarens (Auckland) team looked as though they had played together for years!!! All of us were cheering loudly from the sidelines.

On return from the courts, the girls were chilling out in the lounge and decided to check on the boys progress via their rugby blog. As we scrolled through, the pictures really said it all - the boys standing in the line watching the haka must have been extremely intimidated!!!

With our win of 2 matches so far, it is safe to say that we are the most successful netball group from SCGS touring so far. Not sure we can say the same about the boys......

Tonight we look forward to go to the Hungi, and see the Haka being performed for ourselves.

Alex P.

Day 2 - Saturday 27th March

Today we work up after a late night and arrived at the courts ready for our first game. Unfortunately, we lost our first and second games, but upon the recent successes and won our third match (v JPC Rotorua). Nicole hurt her shoulder again. Some good teamwork and hardcore attitudes featured in our third game. Our last game was a challenge against some tough opposition, but all team members and staff commented on the improvement and some determined performance. Mr Fairbarn was impressed with the improvement shown by the girls throughout the day.

On leaving the courts, we collected Subway for lunch and enjoyed it by Lake Rotorua. Soon after, we visited the nearby thermal pools on the Lake and topped off by the typical sulphur aroma that Rotorua is famous for.

Professor Kate H's lesson for the day "Steam is hot"...........

When we arrived back at Kiwipaka, we were all ready to relax with a hot swim, when Alex's thumb met the door. Looking forward to a relaxing evening and some more games on Sunday.

Melanie P.

Day 1 - Friday 26th March

An early start (with new luggage) greeted our travellers on Friday morning, with an 8.25am departure from Brisbane. The girls were very excited, with limited sleep the night before they gathered at the terminal at 6am. Before departure, our last acts in Australia were to play card games. Go Fish, Snap and Tongues all included.

The flight was enjoyed by all, with movies watched, games played, and new friends made. Along with the entertainment, breakfast was served with the choice of either omelette or chicken korma. The food was delicious and enjoyed by all.

3 hours later we landed in Auckland and gathering our luggage, we made our way to Rotorua, arriving at 8pm.

Positive comments were received about the girls behaving on the flight.

Here I write this blog amongst yelled suggestions and giggles and featuring much singing. The countryside beyond the windows is beautiful, framing an ideal place to start our adventure in New Zealand.

Tamara A.

Pre-tour meeting and Service

In preparation for the NZ Netball tour, students and staff invovled in the tour met last Wednesday night (17 March). This meeting was designed to inform students of their tour responsibilities and tour itinerary. A very excited group left the meeting, looking forward to their upcoming 10 days in NZ.

This week will see the final stages of tour pre-planning, some last minute packing and a Tour worship service, conducted by Pastor Jon Taylor this Wednesday morning in the Chapel. Touring students and family members are invited to join this service at 7.30am and stay for a bacon and eggs breakfast.

All involved are looking forward in anticipation to Friday mornings' flight and the following days.