It’s official! Rugby fever has swept across New Zealand! It feels as though we’ve been waiting a very long time for Rugby World Cup 2011 – it’s been years in the planning. Well now the countdown to the opening ceremony is just a few hours and the excitement in the air is palpable. International Rugby teams are settled into their bases around New Zealand and we’ve already seen some fantastic displays of national fervour – such as when the Tongan team arrived and hundreds of local Tongans caused traffic jams in the street as they turned out in their red and white national colours.
Adding to the excitement, there was even a flash-mob haka on Auckland’s waterfront at 10:30am today. Performed by a group of young Maori leaders from around the country, the performance stopped traffic on the corner of Queen and Quay Streets in downtown Auckland. The group then repeated the performance in Quay Street in front of an enthusiastic crowd of Rugby fans from New Zealand and around the world.
It’s just under an hour until New Zealand’s biggest Rugby World Cup 2011 Fanzone opens on Queens Wharf and the queue to get in already stretches more than 100 metres, with some fans queuing for hours to ensure they get in. The official Fanzone has a capacity of 12,000, but around 50,000 are expected to fill nearby bars and surrounding streets where eight big screens have been set up to screen the Rugby action. Another 60,000 will be watching the opening game between the All Blacks and Tonga live at Eden Park.
Are you ready New Zealand? The wait is over and it’s time to celebrate Rugby World Cup 2011!
