Get Sporty in New Zealand.
In a week where our Joseph Parker lost his heavyweight boxing bout to the U.K.’s Anthony Joshua, it feels odd to point out that New Zealand sports, both physical and mental, are enjoying something of a boom period. All in good time too, what with the Commonwealth Games coming up over in Oz shortly. Speaking of the Aussies, in contrast to our good fortunes, their cricket team hasn’t been doing so well, as we saw last month.
I’m sure you’re all aware of things, but for those that aren’t, Cricket Australia’s Steve Smith and David Warner have both been banned by for a year after being caught ball tampering in their game against South Africa in Cape Town. It has now been confirmed that sandpaper was used to rough up the ball and manipulate its travel. Another player, Cameron Bancroft has been banned for nine months while coach Darren Lehmann somehow managed to hang on to his job.
In contrast, the New Zealand Cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, have not been caught cheating but instead, doing well. In fact, the Joshua vs. Parker bout isn’t the only England vs. New Zealand contest of the week as, over at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, we are locked in a battle against England for the second test of a two-match series, having won the first. Alright, we are chasing the game and, at the time of writing, need 339 runs to win our 2nd innings, but hey, at least we’re doing it without cheating.
International Success
Fast bowler Ish Sodhi.
To be fair, I’m only joking, and every Australian I know is outraged and angry that, fresh from reclaiming The Ashes over the summer, this team and its most respected players would embarrass the nation this way and spoil an elegant sport. One thing’s for sure, as the host nation, Australia will be a welcoming host for the Commonwealth Games that will begin on the Gold Coast later this week, but having won 14 gold medals four years ago in Glasgow, what about our medal chances this time around?
In the shot put, Olympic bronze medallist Tom Walsh is a hopeful for the gold. Two-time Olympic champion Valerie Adams would also normally be expected to claim the women’s shot as well, but only gave birth six months ago, so perhaps this opportunity has come around a little too soon for her. Eliza McCartney (pole vault), Linda Villumsen (cycling), Sam Gaze and Anton Cooper (mountain biking), Laurel Hubbard (weightlifting), David Nyika (boxing) and Natalie Rooney (shooting) are all medal hopefuls, too. The men’s track cycling team are also real contenders for the gold while in the lawn bowls, Jo Edwards and Shannon McIlroy are both worth keeping an eye on.
New Zealand and England could also clash again in the quest for women’s hockey gold. The Black Sticks women’s team, ranked second in the Commonwealth standings behind England and one place ahead of Australia, took home silver medals at Delhi 2010 and bronze in Glasgow 2014, so will be looking to go one better here and bring home a gold for the team sports.
Which brings us to the number one sport in New Zealand, rugby. The world-famous All Blacks, who this week said goodbye to former player Keith Murdoch, are the biggest side in world Rugby and are always considered favourites for the Rugby Union World Cup. As World Champions for a record three times, the last of which was three years ago in England, we’ll have to defend our crown next year in Japan, which shouldn’t be much of a problem I reckon.
All in the Mind
New Zealand at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
It’s not just the national team games that are doing well either. New Zealand’s brilliant and diverse range of outdoor pursuits have been enjoyed by famous names from all aspects of life. Take English poker player Chris Moorman, who has been paragliding over here, or another Englishman, footballer David Beckham, who has bungeed in Auckland as have Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry and even Beyoncé!
Speaking of poker, this popular mind sport has seen New Zealand’s David Yan take home almost $4 million in live winnings. That’s a massive sum for a game that some still see as a hobby. Yan, who leads the nation’s all-time money list in the sport, scooped his highest win of $796,459 in Barcelona back in the summer of 2016 playing Texas Hold ‘Em, the most popular format as opposed to different variants like Omaha Hi-Lo. For the record, Moorman is the only player in online poker history with career earnings over $10 million and has accrued a further $4 million-plus playing the game live.
New Zealand offers excellent venues and tournaments like the SKYCITY Festival of Poker (FOP), which takes place over 10 days at Auckland’s SKYCITY Casino each November with a total prize pool of around $200,000. As you can see, New Zealand is great for both online and live poker online, which is far from alone in other mind sports we are free to enjoy. We even hosted the Mind Sports Olympiad Championship in Thames in 2015. The events of the Pentamind World Championship included chess, backgammon, Go, bridge and other memory games. Oh, and poker, naturally.
Adventure is Out There
The Sky’s the Limit at the Sky City Casino in Auckland.
Back to paragliding. New Zealand is a haven for this sport and other adventure sports. From bungee jumping to rolling down a hill in a Zorb (ball), there are weird and unique extreme activities in New Zealand that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. We’re also home to Hydro Attack, a shark-themed watercraft that goes up and under the water, luge, water sledding and kite surfing on the North Island. Or try the SHWEEB, an upside-down monorail bicycle available only in Rotorua.
Also popular are canyon swings, which are a bit like bungee jumping, but instead, use a swing a form that flashes you over a canyon at a high speed, and skydiving, white water rafting, jet boating, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, and ziplining. And then there’s tubing, which is one of the more unusual water activities you can do here in New Zealand. Available in the Waitomo Caves or in Westport on the West Coast, thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies are required to abseil 37 metres below ground to subterranean rivers where you can float about using a rubber ring.
So, you see, New Zealand does have everything for sports lovers. From the more celebrated national sports to challenging mind games like poker and thrilling adventure sports, New Zealand is now the king of the antipodean sport, if not the world’s premier sporting destination. Take your pick.
