"Yeah Bro" .......

Well, that is just one of the few sayings they use down here in NZ and it took me about 2 days to get use to and 3 days to use it with the same accent as a thoroughbred kiwi! it's good as gold mate!! ha ha
let's start at the very humble begining......i landed at the auckland international airport at 13:40 in cold, rainy conditions. i was very nervous going through customs cause you never know when they just might decide it's time for you to unpack your whole bag! luckly i was blessed with a very friendly passport control officer and got through quick and easy! tanya (my cousin) was waiting on the other side with her 3 adorable little children and off i went for the night to stay over at her and tom's (her husband) cosy-make-you-feel-welcome-house. i was very tired from the long flight ( i left SA wed-evening and arrived here fri-afternoon) and could barely keep my eyes open. i had to though to get into my new sleeping patterns asap! mind you though,, just before 4am that morning i was wide awake,lying in bed till just before 7am to dose off for another hour or so before i had to get up for the final leg of my journey to palmie (well that's what they call palmerston north).
i arrived in palmie, bout midday, safely in the smallest plane i have ever been in (now hows this for a trip, my biggest plane ride and smallest!). ever-friendly joggie came to pick me up and made me feel welcome in my new home town immediatley! saturday afternoon i met my new coach, charlie macallister, and he took me to my new club here in palmie (in NZ a player has to play club rugby to make any squads so i'll be playing bout 4 games and hopefully i will get into the final NPC squad). this coming saturday my club is playing joggie's club and me and him decided that we gonna be telling in afrikaans what each other teams are going to do and that way we will both know what's happening and pitch up at the right time at the right place and show the kiwi's how to play rugga's........or maybe not!
Today we play the first set of trials for the NPC squad for manawatu. i know it will go well and there will be another update by friday hopefully!