On Wednesday June 11th the XI hockey girls piled into the Auckland airport, excited and rearing to begin the adventure that lay ahead. It was the 2014 Auckland Sports Tour and the girls couldn’t wait to get started.
We arrived at St. Kentigern Girls’ School later that morning and waited in their school hall, for our opponents to arrive. Wearing our hockey uniform, we were itching to play but the St. Kentigern English teacher had other ideas. Instead we were to join their Wednesday English lesson which involved role-play, and a few interesting versions of the classic tale Rapunzel. Although it was not what we had expected, joining in on the fun was a great way for us to get to know the St. Kentiern girls before defeating them on the turf.
Our first game went incredibly well with STAC winning 6-2 after gaining an early lead and having most of the ball possession. Six beautiful goals and two well-earned shots, the game consisted of some excellent hockey. It was time for a much needed break, which for many, depending on your billet, involved a tour around Auckland.
The next day we arrived at Strathallen School, on an amazing campus, which included an international hockey turf. The second game was a lot closer than the first. Equal possession, equal shots on goal and equal abilities; it was a nail biting game from start to end. The final score being 2-2, a perfect reflection on the game.
An exhausted team of girls had to find a bucket load of energy for the final day in Auckland, which mainly consisted of a thrilling trip to Rainbow’s End. Eighteen stories up and four seconds down, the Fear Fall was one of the many rides the brave hockey girls put themselves up for. However, this fantastic day had to come to an end, and seemingly, so did the tour. Blazers and ties back on, it was off to the airport to catch a flight back to Christchurch.
Overall the Auckland trip was a phenomenal experience, which everybody soaked up completely. We grew closer together as a team while improving our personal responsibility skills. It was certainly three days that we will never forget. Thank you to all of the adults who made this trip possible to experience and impossible to beat.
Meg Longley 8A