Rugby World Cup: No Girly-Man Helmets To Be Seen

by Brett Atkinson on

With its combination of grace and brute strength, (and a total lack of girly-man helmets and shoulder pads), purists reckon rugby is the “Game Played in Heaven”. The once every four years Rugby World Cup has just kicked off with hosts France being beaten in an upset by the Pumas from Argentina.

The tournament’s on for another seven weeks before the inevitable victory by New Zealand’s All Blacks in the final in Paris on October 20 (but I would say that wouldn’t I?)

Most games are being played in France, but there are also a few fixtures in Cardiff and Edinburgh. Apparently there are still tickets available, so here’s your chance to see what the fuss is all about. Alternatively here are three great bars where rugby fans from all nations will be cheering on their favourites.

  1. Marseille:L’OM Cafe. Marseille is a big soccer town. Zinedine Zidane is a local hero, and this is home base for fans of Olympique Marseille. The city on the Med is also the base for the All Blacks for the next few weeks so expect lots of rowdy but friendly Kiwis.
  2. Paris:Pub Saint-Germain. Imagine your idea of a perfect pub. How about one that has more than a hundred different beers and stays open 24 hours a day? More than perfect I reckon.
  3. Lyon: OL Café is near the stadium and has football memorabilia and more TV screens than dodgy calls by a South African referee.

For information on getting around France by train to the different games, click here.

Thanks to anneinparis16 on Flickr for the pic.

Hanging Off A Rope In the New Zealand Rainforest

by Brett Atkinson on

I’m pretty happy I live in Auckland. Just over a million people with an increasing cultural diversity, loads of good restaurants, and a surprising number of international concerts (although that means for every visit from Interpol and Ryan Adams we get, we also have to host Tommy Lee’s woeful Supernova).

Across recent weeks I’ve been exploring Auckland’s wilder side in a series of articles on “Urban Adventures” I’m writing for a local magazine. An earlier post was on Bungy Jumping off the Auckland Harbour Bridge , and I’ve just returned from canyoning in the Waitakere Ranges to the west of Auckland with my nephew Matthew.

Togged up in wetsuits and safety helmets, we’ve just spent three hours working our way down the Blue Canyon‘s cavalcade of eighteen different waterfalls. Each of the cascades has required a slightly different technique. On some a spectacular and energetic leap has worked best. On others we’ve been forced to slide on our backsides down mossy natural water slides. Throw in a couple of watery abseils for good measure.

All the while we’ve been surrounded by native birdsong in a stunning chasm that’s only a few metres across at its widest point.

It’s been a great day. Not bad for somewhere that’s only 45 minutes from downtown Auckland .

See Canyonz for more information

Is This The World’s Most Southern Igloo?

by Brett Atkinson on

Normally igloos are meant to be surrounded by polar bears and Inuit fishermen drilling holes in pack ice, but that hasn’t stopped a few wacky Kiwis from building one half way up an active volcano. Mt Ruapehu in New Zealand’s North Island last erupted in 1996 and earlier this year sent a lahar of mud, rocks and water careening down its slopes. Despite the occasional natural interruption, Ruapahu features two popular skifields, and visitors for the upcoming season now have the opportunity to sleep in an authentic igloo.

Visitors will need to be quick because the icy structure will only last until spring kicks in from October. There are already two dining rooms for up to 20 mountain-side diners, and new sleeping quarters are now being added that will house up to nine people.

There’s no reviews on Trip Advisor yet, but it’s probably just a matter of time.

Story and pic via the New Zealand Herald.

You’d Be Well Behaved Too If You Only Got Two Weeks Vacation a Year

by Brett Atkinson on

Following up on Justin’s recent post about how well American tourists are regarded by a poll of 1500 European hotel managers, I thought I’d dive into the data about how many weeks vacation per year residents of the United States get in comparison to other countries.

In my home nation, New Zealand, the legal entitlement has traditionally been 3 weeks per year, but recent legislation has now increased the minimum period to 4 weeks. A handy ready reckoner lists that folk in India are entitled to a massive 60 days per year, and the lucky people of Finland get 35 days off every year. Just further south Danes get 6 weeks to drink beer and go Nordic skiing. At the other end of the scale, the busy people of Singapore and Hong Kong only get 7 days holidays every year.

Coming from geographically isolated New Zealand, I really take for granted the need to have time to travel and see the world.

What’s the deal like in your part of the world, and if you’re an American, what do you think about only getting 10 working days off every year?

Thanks to Vincent Ma on Flickr for the pic of his workspace.

Mixologists, Start Your Cocktail Shakers

by Brett Atkinson on

Most American readers of Gadling probably can’t get too excited about the upcoming Rugby Wold Cup, but in New Zealand’s adventure sports capital of Queenstown, an event that should inspire interest from around the globe is just weeks away. Most travellers head to Queenstown to throw themselves off bridges on Bungy cords or zip about lookalike Lord of the Rings riverscapes on jet boats, but after the daytime excitement the bars and clubs of the lakeside town really take off. It’s kinda fitting then that the 2007 Cocktail World Cup is being held in Queenstown from September 9 to September 16.

“Mixologists” (an official term apparently…) from 15 countries will descend on Queenstown to wow the array of international judges. A special bar is even being constructed high in the snow on the peak of the Remarkables mountain range. And of course you just know there’ll be plenty of time for partaking in adventure sports (sounds like a dangerous combination…)

Chances are quite a few of the concoctions may not be suitable for blokes, but as long as there’s a few caipirinhas on offer I’ll be happy.

Thanks to darrell goodman on Flickr for his pic of sunrise over the Remarkables.