It is well worth reading this article about the fighting over the body of a Maori man who died suddenly . He lived in Christchurch, with his partner of 20 years, yet his whanau (wider family) took his body against her wishes, and a court order, to be buried in Bay of Plenty, in the north island. This they justified on Maori cultural rites, that he should be buried with his family.
The police never enforced the court order.
It will give you feel for an aspect of living here.

Up late to watch the All Black opener against Italy, that turned out to be a stroll. A
sensible move on Joe’s part to be supporting the men in black rather than the men from his homeland in their white with horrible red stripe.
Here he is pictured with Dan Carter’s autograph, thanks to the thoughtfulness of Chris Burgess.
Having watched England’s opener, though not live thankfully, I think I will be soon searching for a new team to get behind.

well it is about to start and the coverage here is of the constant but nothing to say type. How many more items of training ground runs can we watch?
it is serious though.

The time has come for the All Blacks to leave their mark on the World Cup for the good of rugby worldwide.

At last the time has come. Four years in the making and at a cost of at least $6 million, the All Blacks have another chance at rugby’s holy grail.

This is a World Cup they simply have to win for the good of the game in New Zealand. And, for the sake of the game internationally, they must win it by playing entertaining rugby.

Not since the aftermath of the 1981 Springboks tour has rugby faced such doom and gloom from the New Zealand public as it has endured this year.

People have been right to complain. The Super 14 was undermined by not having 22 All Blacks for the first half of the tournament and the Tri-Nations was below par as the players struggled to find form.

As for the national domestic championship, it lacks star power and the rugby has often been turgid.

At all levels rugby faces a crisis over its complex laws, with the muddle at the breakdown a serious blight on the game.

So much of what has happened in New Zealand rugby this year, and for the previous three, has been aimed at what will unfold in France in the next two months.

Rugby’s law problems won’t disappear if the All Blacks win the World Cup, but within New Zealand there will be a tidal wave of support for the game that will carry through to a defence, at home, in 2011.

But what if the All Blacks fail again? The coaches will be sacked – that is almost a given. But what of the planning and sacrifices that have gone into this year’s tournament?

When forced to defend his planning and policies, Graham Henry has noted that what has been tried in the past hasn’t worked.

Sticking with the status quo was standing still, he reasoned, and no one wins standing still.

So would defeat mean more needed to be done in 2011?

Would it see the All Blacks placed in even more cotton wool at the expense of other competitions?

Or would it be proof that rugby players actually need to play the game to be any good at it?

The tricky balance between game play, rest and conditioning has been a hot topic throughout the year and that will only continue at the World Cup.

The soft pool games provide ample time for the All Blacks to hit their straps in France, especially if the rotation, after the first two games, is kept to a minimum.

The All Blacks have been close to unbeatable in the past three years, winning 38 of the 43 tests played under Henry.

They have done it playing a fast, expansive and entertaining game.

THERE is a saying that defence wins World Cups and for the tournaments in 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003 that was certainly the case.

But in 1987 New Zealand won playing an expansive game that influenced the way others played in the years that followed.

These All Blacks have the chance to do the same.

Henry has said the All Blacks’ style simply reflects the ability of the players and it is hard to argue with that. There is also some comfort in the fact that under Henry the All Blacks have shown they can dominate up front and win a tough arm wrestle.

But it’s also important that the All Blacks have the courage not to retreat into their shells as the World Cup progresses.

To lose playing defensively would be disappointing, but to win that way would be even worse.

England have been poor champions. Their limited style was never a great advertisement for rugby and they have failed in spectacular fashion to kick on from their triumph in Sydney.

Rugby needs a champion that can set the game alight.

It needs players who can get tongues wagging the way Jonah Lomu did in 1995, and John Kirwan and Michael Jones in 1987.

Those players are in this All Blacks side and it is important they leave their mark on the cup.

When the All Blacks run out at Stade Velodrome in Marseille tomorrow night they will kick off a campaign that has more riding on it than ever before.

New Zealanders are desperate for them to win after the heartache of Dublin in 1991, Johannesburg in 1995, London in 1999 and Sydney four years ago.

And rugby needs a worthy champion.

Are the 2007 All Blacks that team? We will soon find out.

Some of the signs are apparent;the rugby season is over bar the photos and presentations(ignoring the World Cup of course), the mornings are lighter earlier, and I cannot sleep beyond 6-30, and the Kiwis say it is here because we have reached September. Never mind the tilt of the earth, the equinox and all that.
It is warmer and we did try to sit on the deck yesterday. The skies have been clear and things are looking up, that is, until the winds arrive.
Happy seasons.

Photo courtesy of New Zealand Herald.

Eleanor and I went outside briefly to take a look, but it was windy, cold and cloudy, so the enthusiasm to stay outside was low. We saw the moon when it was a partial eclipse without the added colour.
That is the trouble with winter. Plenty of darkness to enjoy the sky but too cold.

Eleanor’s last netball game of the season was on Saturday, and she finally enjoyed victory. It was the team’s second win of the season, though she had missed the other one as we were on the big trip up north. It was a good game to watch, competitive and balanced. Eleanor played well. The final score I think was 14-10. So now she is away from the team sports for a few months, unless her netball passion is so great that she plays indoor during the summer.
Joe was not so successful with regard to the team, but apparently played a good game himself with plenty of big tackles and ball carrying efforts. This was acknowledged with a few parental pats on the back after the match. Nice one! Only one more game before the parents enjoy six weeks off before the summer season kicks off.

Last weekend we went to see some action from the bard, as laid on by the RSC, with the top notch bods being imported.
Most well known was Ian McKellen playing the lead in King Lear. The fool was played by Sylvester McCoy, known for playing the Doctor. We bought the not so cheap tickets months ago, and did some homework before going, checking out the plot. We have never seen Lear before or read it. Though the tickets were pricey we had seat as far at the back of the upper circle as it is possible to go. We could still see and hear the action, but with all those bodies, and consequent heat, it was very hot at the back. As such, concentration was hard to maintain at ties and Sara had a period of eye closure.
I enjoyed the play, though quite complicated, and with lots to follow.
Despite being so far from the stage we were still able to get a good view of Lear’s man piece when in his madness he throws off his clothes. Quite remarkable!

At long last Isaac loses a tooth. Much awaited, and pleased all around. Isaac last one in class to do the honours. Parents can stop worrying about rare case of absent secondary dentition, and having to pay for tooth implants.

Not too long until we jump in the taxi, and then fly lots of miles in our attempt to hasten global climate change. A topic for heated discussion?
Sport on today as usual. The Quirkes managed to make a record-2 competitors and 3 loses!
Eleanor played an extra game for another team an lost in that one as well.
Nice clear but cold day for sport.
Looking forward to some sunshine-I do hope.
Anyway, got to go. Have to watch Shaz pack the suitcases.

A family trying to sort out packing suitcases, new ones by the way, still has many things to keep abreast of.
So today we have to hand in Joe’s project for the school science fair, Isaac has to go to school as an Egyptian, and Eleanor has a ballet exam. Toooooooo much.

Photo courtesy of Joe.