Friday March 18, 2010 (11:41pm PT aboard Air New Zealand)

Leaving Santa Barbara on a warm sunny day is always difficult, but knowing that we were on our way to New Zealand made that thought completely unnecessary. I didn’t really know what to expect coming on this trip. I did some research with friends who had traveled through New Zealand and studied abroad there, and was able to get some sort of insight into the culture. What I didn’t and still don’t have a full grasp on is what to expect from what has been infamously coined in the rugby world as “Tour”.

I originally thought this was just a reason to travel to the rugby homeland, play some games, share some drinks with the local Kiwis, and enjoy the picturesque landscape. Apparently “Tour” is much bigger then just a trip to New Zealand and is a long-lasting tradition amongst the Rugby world. I have no idea what I have just gotten myself into as videographer of the trip!

Every guy on the team has a ridiculous haircut and stylish facial hair, ironically during Mustache March, and the excitement for this trip has been evident on everyone’s face since we met at Harder Stadium Thursday afternoon. As I have become more comfortable with the team in the 4 hours I have known them, I am already getting a vision of what may lie ahead in the next 10 days.
All I can say is, if I survive the trip in one piece with my video camera still in tact and the footage un-damaged, the video that will come at the conclusion of this trip will be an epic tale documenting one of the best times of our lives. Until then, we have 7 more hours left on this plane…..