24/06/2018 - Ice Hockey in New Zealand? (+ Kapa Haka Festival)

Several weeks ago, we ordered tickets for a special kind of ice hockey game. The first open-air ice hockey game in the Southern Hemisphere was to take place at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. The protagonists of this historic game were none other than the two ice hockey nations, USA and Canada! We could hardly believe our luck to be able to experience something like this on our trip - on the other side of the world.

But let's start from the beginning:

On June 23, 2018, we left the campsite around 10:30 am and made our way to the city center. After parking the car in the parking garage, we walked to the Te Papa Tongarewa - the National Museum of New Zealand - in the blazing sunshine. Along the way, we passed the beautiful harbor promenade and unexpectedly spotted a little sea lion swimming in the harbor basin! He was floating on his back and seemed completely relaxed. After watching him for a while, we entered the museum. We had found out in advance that a traditional Maori folk festival, called "Kapa Haka," would take place this weekend. Various clubs from all over New Zealand come here to present a "Kapa Haka" (Kapa = row, Haka = dance). So we headed straight for the theater. However, the queue in front of us was very long. No wonder - admission was free and there was great interest. But then everything happened unexpectedly fast. After ten minutes of waiting, we were given entry wristbands and were led into the theater, to our seats. They were right in the middle. Our seat neighbors kindly made room for us. Relieved, we sat down. In front of us was a large, brightly lit stage. Around us sat mostly well-built Maori and a few tourists. The air in the theater was quite stuffy, which is why we had to take off our sweaters shortly after arriving.
Then the next artists took the stage and performed their Kapa Haka. The joy and fun of each dancer quickly spread to us and the audience. Regardless of age or physical condition, whether in a wheelchair or with a walker, they all expressed their emotions and stories (even though we didn't understand the language) through song, dance, and music. It should be mentioned that the groups use only a few instruments. They only use guitars and Maori "Poi Balls" and yet they create an incredible power and atmosphere that is difficult to describe in words.
Each performance includes the traditional "Haka," a war dance performed by male members. With a lot of passion and energy, they stomp on the ground, hit their arms, chest, or legs, and make intimidating grimaces. Impressive! We were fascinated by the performances and the atmosphere. Even the audience danced, sang, and celebrated along. And we were right in the middle of it. It was amazing! This morning became a real highlight of our entire New Zealand trip for us. :)
However, after almost an hour at the festival, we had to leave. Our path led us back along the harbor promenade towards the Westpac Stadium - our primary destination for the day. When we arrived at the planned entrance, which was set for 12:30 pm, we found that there was very little activity. We walked across a bridge and from a distance, we could see that hardly any fans were waiting in front of the gates. A security employee informed us, "The planned start of the game has been postponed for a few hours. There is a leak in the cooling system under the ice, and it will not freeze in time." Shortly after, when we turned on our phones, we discovered an email from the organizer containing the same information. So what do we do for the next few hours until the rescheduled start of the game? It was easy for us to find an answer on this day. We walked back to the museum and took our seats in the theater again. ;)
At 5:00 pm, the last group performed and we headed back towards the stadium. On the way there, we saw an unusually large number of fans coming towards us - they must be looking for the stadium by now, right!? Once again, we were stopped in front of the entrance gates. This time, by a disappointed fan who informed us that the game had been canceled. Now the disappointment set in for us as well - we were really looking forward to the game ...
The constant uncertainty and the back and forth between the museum and the stadium made us hungry. So we walked through the city again to visit a well-rated pizzeria. When we arrived, we took a seat at one of the two tables and waited for our comfort food. At that moment, we received an email from the organizer stating that the ice hockey game was being postponed to tomorrow morning. With this news, a delicious pizza, and freshly made donuts from the Night Food Market, the bizarre day ended on a positive note. :)

Today started very early. From 6:00 am, we followed the German national team's World Cup match. Only the late free-kick goal against Sweden kept us from falling back asleep. (Germany 2:1 Sweden)
We learned from yesterday's email that the stadium would open for the rescheduled game at 10:30 am. So we didn't have much time to rest.
Arriving at the parking garage again, we walked the familiar path to the Westpac Stadium. To our delight, there were many more people this time! The stadium gates opened on time and we were able to enter. Yay! At the stadium, we first visited the merchandise stand in the concourse and then made our way to our seats. The first look at the ice was exciting. From our seats, we had a good view, and the weather was initially at its best.
Once we had settled in and took a second look at the ice, we spotted large puddles of water. Is the cooling system still not working 100%? We also noticed that parts of the boards behind one of the goals were missing. Was the crew seriously trying to use a net as a replacement? Okay. They must know what they're doing. There was a lot of hustle and bustle down there. The whole situation, and especially the ice surface construction, seemed chaotic and unprofessional. But that's New Zealand. So we didn't think much about it and let ourselves be entertained by the confusion.
To everyone's concern, more and more dark clouds appeared in the sky over time. We were already afraid that it would start raining soon ... but it didn't. After waiting for 1.5 hours, an announcement came over the stadium speakers. An organizer apologized for the delays, acknowledged the puddles on the ice, and announced a new start time for the game as the players wanted to play despite the high water level. The audience was happy to hear the good news. To pass the time, more and more ice hockey players approached the stands and handed out autographed merchandise to the fans. Meanwhile, we noticed that the boards on the opposite side of the rink were being dismantled! The crew worked both on the ice and behind the boards to remove individual parts of the plexiglass. We wondered if they really wanted to play without high boards?!
The wind picked up more and more in the meantime. The remaining parts of the plexiglass boards started to sway. And then it happened: out of nowhere and with a loud noise, an entire section of the boards collapsed! Like a domino effect, one section after another broke loose and crashed onto the ice. Boom! One of the helpers saved himself with a dive to avoid the heavy falling boards; luckily, no one was hurt! After a brief outcry, silence followed. By this point, it was clear to all stadium guests that there would be no ice hockey game today. At first, it was difficult for us to understand the situation. Can such a large event with more than 7,000 guests simply be canceled? After a few minutes, the voice of the organizer was heard announcing the cancellation of the event at this point and promising a 100% refund of the ticket prices. In addition, the players from both teams would be available in the concourse in a few minutes to take pictures and sign autographs. We looked at each other and couldn't believe it. With great disappointment, we looked at the debris in the middle of the stadium ...
Of course, we couldn't miss the opportunity to take a few souvenir photos with the ice hockey players. One of the Canadian players even recognized the "Lions Frankfurt" logo on our shirts because he had played in Germany for a while. ;) ... and yet, with our heads hanging, we left the stadium grounds.