Paris

Okay, so Paris is not in New Zealand! Who cares? Enjoy the pictures one can take on a beautiful late summer day.

Eden Park: All Blacks vs Wallabies

Again: Rugby in Eden Park. This time even more interesting than last time, since the All Blacks take on the Wallabies, Australia's national team. That's like Germany vs Netherlands in soccer, or more like Erfurt vs Jena... :-) However, everything is peaceful -- I suppose, that's because the ABs are winning. Totally unexpected, they are down 11-20 at halftime (playing really badly), but come back to take the match 34-27. And not just the match, but also the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nations Trophy. Did I mention, that Rugby has lots of weird tournaments and trophies? Anyway, was a nice event with some tension and a happy ending.

Mt Ruapehu: Snowboarding

Shortly before my leave to Europe a nice highlight: we're going snowboarding on a volcano -- namely, Mt Ruapehu in the centre of the North Island!! 'Us' is my flatmate Gabby and me, and we're meeting two other folks down there. Weather sucked, but was good enough for the bunny-slope -- which is where we total beginners spent two whole days. After all, I managed to survive three days on the board without serious injuries! Actually, even the apres-ski in boomtown Ohakune (the 'Carrot Capital of the World'!) was more dangerous than the boarding -- and it was a very peaceful apres-ski!