Day 8
By Kirstin Smith

While some people went to watch or play volleyball with the local Auckland club team, a bunch of us went to Purnel St. to browse another taste of New Zealand.  Linda found bus times and stops enabling us to travel around without too much hassle.  After a scenic drive, we arrived on the upscale Purnel.  We walked to a Bakery, loaded up on coffee, and then sat down to the most delectable lunch we have had so far.  The restaurant was a cute little italian place with unbelievable food that could only be found at a very expensive and usually unaffordable  restaurant in the US.  After lunch, some of us went to the War Memorial Museum while the other half checked out the stores and cafes.  After seeing some beautiful tiki rooms in the museum, and some thousand dollar dresses in the boutiques, we met up in search of a bus.  Finding the right stop proved a difficult task and we soon discovered that not many Kiwis (New Zealanders) know much about the public transportation routes.  Eventually, we found the 471, boarded, and safely arrived back at the good ol Quality Inn.

Editors Note:
Meghan Sherman, Tory Anderson, and Sarah Keaten were asked after our first match in New Zealand if they would be interested in participating in a tournament with Bo’s local club team, the Trojans. It was both and honor and a privilege for these girls to take an even greater part in the local volleyball experience and we want to thank Bo for asking the girls to participate.  Chris Mortimer was also asked to join the Tongan National Team that was playing at the same site in a match against a local men’s team.  The girls did not play the first set and the Trojans lost quickly.  When all three were subbed in during the second set, the level of play rose dramatically, and each were able to contribute significantly to a 4 set victory.  While not without the occasional mishap (see picture 6, Meghan’s head on collision with her larger teammate), overall the experience was an exceptional one.

 The below Journal is Tory and Meghan’s visual interpretation , an artistic masterpiece illustrated by Tory Anderson.