Parker’s Travel Blog
New Zealand
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Pre-Departure
Over the course of the next three weeks, I will begin in Auckland, New Zealand and be traveling to various locations in the country to explore sport at many levels. After Auckland, we will then fly to the south island to visit Queenstown which is widely known as the adventure capital of New Zealand. After spending a few days in Queenstown, we will then travel to Dunedin also located on the south island. Finally, we will return to the north island to finish our adventure in Wellington. Throughout this experience, we will be meeting with multiple sport organizations and discussing how sport impacts the culture of New Zealand and its impact on the “Kiwi” otherwise known as those who are from the country. I will be sharing my personal experience of this amazing adventure and I hope that you enjoy the content that will be shared. I am very excited to meet with the New Zealand Breakers, the basketball team that is a part of the Australian NBL. They have one of the most sought after NBA prospects on their team RJ Hampton whom is just 18 years old and decided to skip college in order to be eligible for the NBA Draft in 2020. I am little nervous about the long flight as I have never been on a flight that long nor have I been anywhere out of the country besides Canada. I hope that this program provides me with a better understanding of New Zealand sport and how it differs and is similar to sport in the United States. This is a once in a lifetime experience and I can not wait to share with everyone following this blog.
Federal and Wolfe Cafe
Kia ora!!! Prior to our sailing experience, a small group of us decided to walk and try a local breakfast place down by the waterfront in Auckland. While there, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and order something that I would not normally order in an attempt to emerge myself into the New Zealand culture. They did offer many American breakfast dishes that you would see at any other place such as bacon and eggs. I asked our waitress what the favorites were and finally decided to order an omelet consisting of Kahawai, egg, and cheese. Kahawai is a marine fish that is found in colder temperature waters but more specifically on the south western coasts of Australia and the New Zealand coastline. This dish was interesting to say the least. The thought of fish on an omelet was something that I did not quite agree with however I went for it anyway. Overall, I would give this meal a 6.5/10 and am very glad that I tried it however I will not be ordering a fish omelet again any time soon. I definitely do not recommend ordering this dish prior to any sort of strenuous activity such as sailing. Stay tuned for more content. After being here for just about four days, I am very pleased with all that we have experienced and am excited for what is to come.
Sky Sport Breakers NZ
Our group was granted the opportunity of touring the headquarters and training facility of the Sky Sport Breakers. This is the home of the Breakers, New Zealand’s basketball team that is an organization in the Australian NBL. Additionally, as a part of the new wave of E-Sports, the Sky Sport Breakers are responsible for the first E-Sports team in New Zealand. This experience was extremely eye-opening. Basketball is the fastest growing sport throughout all of New Zealand.
Specifically this year, the Breakers have gained a tremendous amount of followers through the acquisition of adding RJ Hampton to the roster as an import player. RJ Hampton is one of the NBA’s top prospects for the 2020 draft and is very well known for his decision to bypass the NCAA to become draft eligible as he is just 18 years old. Additionally, the Breakers have become very popular in accordance to their partnership with Barstool Sports. While, their facilities were not the most impressive, the professionalism of their organization and the NBL as a whole is heading in the right direction. It was very interesting to hear from their social media director, event planner, youth development coach, and the general manager of the sport organization. Their social media tactics were designed to reach a certain target market through each platform. So, basically each platform whether it be twitter, instagram, or facebook was their way of reaching a certain demographic. It was really interesting to hear from the General Manager who started with the breakers as an 11 year old kid as the person who would clean the sweat off the court and made his way up the ranks to what is now a well-known sport organization within the fastest growing sport in all of New Zealand. I was fortunate enough to have a one on one conversation with the GM which was very interesting and eye opening to see the challenges and decision making that he goes through on a daily basis.
(Writer’s Choice #1)
The Conversation
As mentioned in my previous post with our visit to the HQ of the Sky Sport Breakers, I was able to have a conversation with the General Manager of the sport organization. This was an incredible experience and I was surprised how personal and inclined Simon Edwards was to talk to us about the operations of their basketball team specifically. One thing we talked about in depth was the current NBL rule regarding import players. Each team in the NBL, which is the league that they play in is allowed 3 import players from out of Australia and New Zealand to play for their team. This is huge for the league and the Breakers specifically because they have such a big name on their team being RJ Hampton, the 18 year old sensation from the United States. He is one of the first players in the new trend for athletes to bypass the NCAA in order to become draft eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft and earning a salary instead of playing one year of college basketball and not earning anything. Simon talked about how important this is for the NBL because it brings so much attention to the league and grants other players the opportunity of being seen by NBA scouts. He said that NBA scouts that he has spoken with were surprised with how much talent there is the NBL other than the two big names of RJ Hampton and LaMelo Ball. Simon also spoke about the soft salary cap that the league has enforced which allows them to spend as much as they would like on player salaries however there is a progressive luxury tax depending on how much money is spent over the designated cap. This allows teams to maximize talent and go after players that they would not normally be able to afford given there is a hard cap for player salaries. It was cool to see how open Simon was about talking to other students and I given his busy schedule when he did not have to give us the time of day to discuss pressing issues about his team.
Queenstown Entry
Sport tourism is extremely important to the city of Queenstown. It is widely known as the adventure capital of New Zealand. Without adventure sport in Queenstown, it is hard to believe that the city would thrive. The views that we saw almost seemed fake like it was a backdrop in a Hollywood movie. Tourism in general seems to be very popular in Queenstown. Just from observation, I noticed that there was a wide range of people from all over the world. Out of the three places that we have visited being Auckland, Queenstown, and Dunedin there I encountered the most Americans in Queenstown. While in Queenstown we were granted 2 free days to do whatever we would like.
Golf
One of the activities I decided to do during one of our free days was to play golf at Queenstown Golf Club. This was by far the most incredible round of golf I have ever played. We had to take a water taxi to the course located on the peninsula. The course was wide open and in pretty good shape. We rented clubs and a cart and played until right before the sunset.
ATV tour
On our first free day, a group of us decided to go to the ATV off road tour and I am so glad that we did this because it was something that I will remember forever. We took a 30 minute bus ride to the track that was surrounded by mountains. To start, we geared up with boots, helmets, goggles, and gloves and then hopped on our ATV’s. The guide then led us through a short training session and then we were on our way which was interesting. I have noticed that most if not all the adventure sport activities entail assuming your own risk as long as you pay the price. We were given a lot of responsibility considering that if we crashed or would have broken the bike, we would have to pay for the damages.
Cliff jump Little Thailand
While on the bus to the ATV tour, our driver mentioned something about a cliff jump into the lake. So after we got back from the off road experience, a group of us grabbed a chilly bag (otherwise known as a cooler) and took an uber to Little Thailand which was where the jump was. It was very sketchy when we arrived and had to walk down a steep rock trail until finally finding the area. The jump was 10 meters high and required climbing back up the cliff with an old rope to get back to the sitting area. After seeing my friends take the leap of faith into the very cold water. Despite the danger involved, this was an amazing experience and adrenaline rush. We ran into a few Kiwi’s that gave us some tips and a heads up about the temperature and depth of the lake.
The Sports Event
While in Auckland, we attended a Sky Sport Breakers basketball game. After visiting the less than impressive practice facility and HQ of the organization, I was not very sure what to expect, knowing that we were going to attend a game later that week. Despite the practice facility being a little unprofessional, the game changed my view of the team and their relevance in the Australian NBL. They play their home games at Spark Arena which is very nice arena that seats just over 8,000 people. I had the opportunity to volunteer for the game and escort VIP to their floor level seats which was a very unique opportunity. This service is something that does not really occur in the United States but more specifically at an NBA game. The Breakers pride themselves on providing their fans were exceptional service. While the game of basketball is the same in the US despite some minor rule differences, there are notable differences. I went to an NBA game over the holiday in Denver to see the Nuggets play and I noticed major differences in fan interaction, the professionalism, and the overall environment of the event. To start, the general manager of the sport organization is the announcer for home games which is bizarre compared to the US because in any NBA organization, that job is its own profession however that itself speaks about the developmental stage of the Breakers. Additionally, this shows how much time and care that Simon puts into the organization when he could easily have someone else do that job. Something that I noticed while watching the game was how the fans react to certain plays and more so listen to the announcer. For example, every time a three pointer was made by the Breakers, smoke would explode above the basket treating a three pointer as a massive accomplishment. Something else that I noticed, was when Simon(the GM and announcer) would chant something, the fans would follow. I could tell that the fans were less informed the game of basketball comparing it to an NBA venue. Another difference I noticed was how the Breakers did not have a jumbotron hanging over the middle of the court unlike any other professional basketball game I have attended. One thing that was similar to an NBA game was playing music during the time of possession. This aspect seems minor however it is a great way to keep the fans involved and interested in the game. Overall, this experience was very informative for NZ sport as a whole specifically in the fastest growing sport in all of New Zealand.
The Museum
The artifact that I found most interesting at the NZ Sport Hall of Fame was a large sculpture of David Gallaher, a former All Blacks captain who played in the New Zealand’s first match against Australia in 1903. While the Hall of Fame was less than impressive, this large sculpture stood out the most and was very interesting to read and learn about. David Gallaher captained the All Blacks on their pathfinding tour in the early 1900s which set the foundation for the organization and attributes to their world success in Rugby. He enlisted in the army in 1917 and was killed in action. This is a major artifact in NZ society because he represented the All Blacks not only on the field, but then carried that tradition into a larger stage to fight for his country. This bronze statue was unveiled outside of Eden Park in 2011, where the All Blacks famously play the majority of their home rugby matches.
The Current Event
About three weeks prior to our departure to New Zealand, the volcano on White Island erupted on December 9th. Luckily, this eruption did not affect our travel plans however it has dramatically altered the course of the victims along with their family and friends. This eruption was worldwide news and is extremely saddening to read about. The death tolls have recently totalled to twenty people. As I read through the news articles, the story of an American husband and wife really intrigued me to hear about their journey and recovery. Recent reports state that two American White Island survivors and burn victims may be well enough to fly home to the US as early as next week. Rick Reed and wife Ivy suffered burns from the eruption leaving Rick with thirty percent of his body damaged while Ivy suffered burns to her hands, face, and right leg. He and his wife remain in the burns unit at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland, New Zealand. They have been in the hospital for the past seven weeks. I can’t even imagine how their lives have changed and what they have endured over the course of the past seven weeks. It was very pleasing to hear that This has significantly impacted New Zealand as a whole as the questions were brought up regarding the safety of visiting White Island in the first place. Despite that, the country has come together and have been supporting the victims through this difficult period of time.
The Imagined Space
While visiting Dunedin on the south island of New Zealand, we had the opportunity to visit Forsyth Barr Stadium. This stadium opened in 2011 with a lot of debate between the community and the builders considering the stadium cost ended up totaling over $200 million. Also, the city of Dunedin is relatively small and is predominantly student based which affects the amount of tax dollars put into the construction. Prior to the commercialization of the stadium with Forsyth Barr, the stadium was widely known as Otago Stadium or Dunedin Stadium. The stadium’s first large event was the home of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and is currently the home of the Highlanders which is a part of the Super Rugby organization. Hosting matches in the Rugby World Cup is a huge deal especially for New Zealand considering the importance of the sport to the country. The stadium is also the host of large concert venues and can seat more than 30,000 occupants. Big names like Queen and Elton John are set to perform there in the upcoming months which is remarkable. Additionally, Forsyth Barr is the host for the Otago Rugby Football Union team. An interesting aspect of the stadium is how they dedicated an entire section for students considering the college town that is a major part of Dunedin. The section is known as “The Zoo” and is full of shenanigans and is very rowdy. This section is a great way to fill the audience and involve the community. The building of this stadium has given so much back to the community and city of Dunedin that its perceived negative aspects are ignored. I was very impressed with the quality and professionalism of this stadium compared to other facilities that we visited throughout our trip.
The Nation
From my experiences over the past few weeks traveling to New Zealand, there is a huge sense of pride of what it means to be a New Zealander. Considering the population of New Zealand being just over 4 million people, the cities seem very more tight nit like it would be in a small community. Local citizens seem to care a lot more about their environment than you would see in the When in Auckland, I noticed that the city was one of the cleanest that I have ever experienced. The morning of our free day in Auckland on the way to the ferry over to Waiheke Island, a group of us grabbed some breakfast at McDonalds. While eating the food outside, one of us dropped a piece of lettuce on the ground near a homeless man begging for spare change. The homeless yelled at my friend telling him to pick up the piece of lettuce and to throw it in the trash while he is in a very tough place in his life. We were all very surprised to see that he cared about the food on the ground and it was interesting because the city was very clean. This is just something that would not happen in the states and the big cities are usually more dirty and no one, especially a homeless person would say anything as a reaction to a piece of food falling on the ground in public. Another similar example occurred in Queenstown regarding the environment. A group of us were waiting outside of a convenience store and one of us spit on the ground near a women smoking a cigarette and she yelled at my friend saying “that’s disgusting” and proceeded to move ten feet away from us. This was also very eye opening just because she was smoking a cigarette that would most likely end up on the ground and she cared about saliva on the ground of the sidewalk. Despite those two examples, the quality of life for New Zealanders seems to be generally positive. New Zealanders are very proud to be from here and before coming here I figured that New Zealanders and Australians had a positive relationship between each other which is quite the opposite.
The Public Historical Marker
When first arriving in Dunedin before our hike to the Organ Pipes, we took a bus the Signal Hill monument. The high elevation from this monument granted an incredible panoramic view of the entire city. We were able to see the shorelines and mountains that are embedded throughout Dunedin. This historical marker is “dedicated to the memory of the pioneers who braved the first” at the beginning of the Dominion’s second century. There is a stone “hewn from the rock on which Edinburgh Castle stands” at the monument that represents the unbreakable bond between the cities of Dunedin and Edinburgh. This stone from Scotland symbolized Dunedin and its’ sister city of Edinburgh’s relationship from the early development of the city and history behind their unique bond. This monument is located in the second largest city on the south island of New Zealand. This was a very cool experience to see the Otago Peninsula from the monument.
New Zealand Rugby
After our visit to Sport New Zealand, we walked for about 15 minutes over to the headquarters of New Zealand Rugby. This office building was very high quality and commemorates the accomplishments of the national team, the All Blacks. The office has artifacts from some of the earliest All Blacks teams including one of the jerseys worn from the early 1900s that has a value of more than $50,000. We were granted with the opportunity to hold one the Rugby World Cup trophies that was locked up in a safe among other trophies and artifacts. The guide who gave us the tour of HQ showed us a tribute video displaying what it means to be an All Black and with the emphasis on bringing home the Rugby World Cup title like they did in 2015. He oversees contract agreements such as AIG which sits on the front of their uniform. They will be seeking new sponsorship within the next few years as the one with AIG is set to expire. Something that stood out to me during the tour was how our guide mentioned the importance of being humble as an All Black. While the All Blacks are the most storied and well known rugby team in the world, their players aren’t making nearly the amounts as professional athletes in the United States. Furthermore, their facilities do not compare to the professional arenas and training centers. Despite all of that, the All Blacks are expected to win each time they step out onto the field, and New Zealanders rally together with a sense of pride to watch their team. While on our tour we were able to see the marketing department and meet one of the talent scouts which was very cool. Something new that I learned while at HQ was that the All Blacks invest in young talent through grass root teams.
Post-New Zealand
After returning to the United States just three days ago, I was very pleased with the three weeks spent in New Zealand. This was an unforgettable and life changing experience that has given me a prospective into life outside of the US and more specifically sport and how it functions in New Zealand compared to the states. The one thing that I was excited about heading into the trip was our visit with the New Zealand Breakers basketball team. We visited their practice facility and heard from the general manager, social media director, and event manager. Their facility was definitely underwhelming however that speaks to the stage and development of basketball in New Zealand, the fastest growing sport in the country which recently surpassed Rugby among participation in the youth. I had a very nice conversation with the general manager and learned a lot about the league rules, salary cap, and direction of the NBL as a whole. Something I was nervous about was the safety of the cities that we traveled to including Auckland, Queenstown, Dunedin, and Wellington. I was surprised and pleased to say that myself and our group had no issues with safety during the three weeks. I was also a little nervous about the long flight. I am confident that I could fly anywhere after flying to NZ and back with no worries. The time change was more of an issue than the flights themselves. I am feeling very jet lag after three days of being back in Oxford and very exhausted overall. Through the readings assigned before our departure, I learned a lot about the history of sports in New Zealand and rules of certain sports that are not very popular in the United States. While in New Zealand, we had more of a field experience type of learning. Through guest lectures, we were able to gain the perspectives of individuals working in the sport field and their first hand experience with sport in NZ. This experience gave me an inside look of how sport organizations function. Prior to this trip, I was set on pursuing a career in becoming a sports agent however this experience in New Zealand has broadened my options. I could see myself working within a sports organization and pursuing a position within the front office.
Parker Hess: New Zealand Adventure 