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  • Writer's picturewhalenerin3

'Tis the Season

Sumner beach has quickly become my new sanctuary. With it being only a short 20-minute drive from my apartment, I find myself there on most off days enjoying the crystal blue water and watching the surfers attempt to catch their next wave. Although the water is too cold for me since it is winter here, I enjoy sitting on a blanket and taking in any sun I can get.

Last week a couple teammates and I hiked Rapaki Trak. The trail sits on the outskirts of Christchurch giving amazing views of the city and the nearby beaches. I am hoping to do a few more hikes at the Hakatere Conservation Park in the Canterbury region. Although it is a couple hours away from Christchurch, the park has several hikes and is supposed to have even better views.

I was also able to explore a new city, Akaora. The small town was about an hour South of Christchurch. To get to the town we had to drive through winding roads on the side of a mountain and I truly thought we were about to fall off the side of the road due to how narrow the streets were. However, the anxious drive was worth the afternoon spent trying new restaurants and walking around the small peninsula.




Our team officially started our season and we are off to a 1-1 start. Our first game was at home at Cowles Stadium with a sold-out crowd. We played the southern team Hoiho and won 73 to 63. The atmosphere in the gym was amazing and it truly felt like a professional game thanks to the courtside seats, personalized signage, and loud stadium. Post-game the fans swarmed us for autographs and I can officially say that I have signed someones forehead.


All games can be viewed on YouTube when you search our team, Mainland Pouakai. Most games will be streamed live but luckily you can rewatch them at any time since they are played around 3am eastern time.


If you do watch a game, you might notice that fans can be seen with their winter coats and hats on inside the stadiums. This is because most gyms do not have heaters, so whatever the temperature is outside is what it is inside—INSANE. This is probably my biggest adjustment I’ve had to get used to/am still getting used to. I can promise that I will never take for granted a warm gym in my life again.


Our second game was against Whai. This was an away game in Tauranga which is on the East coast in the middle of the Northern Island. The flight to Tauranga was a quick 1.5 hour trip and although the flight itself was quite standard, the most shocking thing was the lack of security within the airport. Unlike the US, shorter domestic flights have no security line. Passengers can take anything in their carry-on bags and walk directly to their gate and onto the flight. This came as a huge surprise to all the imports since we are so used the long TSA lines and rigorous rules that are associated with any flight.


When we arrived to the stadium for shoot-around on game day our opponents welcomed us with a traditional Pōwhiri. The Mãori culture originates from the indigenous people of New Zealand and one of their traditions is to do a welcoming ceremony. The ceremony lasted around 10 minutes and consisted of a long story/blessing and a song performed by the opposing team and their staff in the Mãori language. Although I was unable to take any photos or videos out of respect, it was really cool to hear someone fluently speak the dying language.


Personal Updates:

-This week I start my final class for my MBA and I am very excited to be finally almost finished with school.

-The team plays 4 games in 8 days so we will be very busy prepping and traveling to the different sites.

- I have signed to play in Bembibre, Spain for the European season. I will be home for four days at the start of September before heading to Spain until mid-April.

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