After fighting through the crowds and eventually getting down to Queen's Wharf, we secured our spot along the railing edge, no more than 5 steps from the serving window of the nearest bar. From there we had an excellent view of the water and harbour where the fleet of 20 Maori waka (canoes) looked to be departing from, with each waka carrying a representative from one of the 20 participating countries. The sun was pumping down in what was a near perfect day in Auckland, so with a view over the harbour on one side of us, a bar serving ice cold beer on the other side, clear skies and sun above, we also had the added bonus of being surrounded by thousands of rugby supporters - couldn't really have asked for much more.

At around 4pm, once the Pukaea (Maori war trumpet) had sounded, the boats started to leave the harbour one by one, each boat carrying a guest representative from one of the 20 nations competing in the tournament. There was rumour that there would be a mass haka performance at some point on the waterfront, but we decided it was time to start making our way to the stadium for the opening ceremony. So once all the boats had left - Si, Suzie and myself left Duncs (who didn't have a ticket for the game) and we started our walk to Eden Park along the Fan Trail.

The fan trail started at Queen Elizabeth Square at the waterfront end of Queen Street and is a steady walk up Queen Street to Aotea Square, then past the Town Hall and up through Myers Park. After Myers Park, it's into Karangahape Road (K-Road), then down Great North Road for a few km's and finally into Bond Street which leads up to the stadium. The estimated time from start to finish of the trail was about an hour, but we took a bit longer, with a few stops along the way. The Tongan fans and supporters were out in full force along K-Road, singing and dancing, with music banging out of every speaker they could find. Otherwise the rest of the streets and cars were lined with All Blacks flags, posters, jerseys and song and dance. Really was incredible to walk through it all.

We got to Eden Park quite early, with plenty of time to find our seats, and grab a nice cold Heineken - the (only) beer of the World Cup. Our seats were down on the bottom tier, behind the posts and slightly offset to the right. So we were nice and close to the pitch for any corner tries down our end. After the pre-match build up and before the main event officially started, Sizi and I even managed to get on TV and the big screen by jumping around like fools in front of the camera and waving our SA flag. And then it was time for the opening ceremony to kick off, with the atmosphere in the stadium completely breathtaking.

As tradition dictates, the ceremony kicked off with 'The World in Union' which was accompanied by a backing track of drums and ukuleles, with hundreds of dancers dancing around a seven-metre high replica of the Webb Ellis Cup. After the opening song, the stadium erupted (and apparently so did the rest of Auckland) with an amazing display of fireworks, together with drums, flashing lights and music, much to the enjoyment of the packed out Eden Park. The most incredible part of the ceremony for me was when the entire crowd of 60,000 were instructed to flash our mobile phones in time with the drum beat and countdown, every beat sending a chilling shiver through me from head to toe. Quite amazing!

After the ceremony, the opening game commenced with the All Blacks taking on Tonga. It was also the first time I'd seen the All Blacks haka done live, and we were treated to not just one, but two hakas, the second one by the Tongans. The game itself was quite good - with the All Blacks convincingly beating the Tongans, 41 points to 10. At least the Tongans managed one try quite late in the second half, but not enough against the mighty Blacks.

After the game, we headed back to the waterfront, deciding against the trains which were in absolute chaos, and the walk back proved rather festive with the streets still buzzing with fans - both Kiwis and the Tongans. We met up with Duncs in Queen's Street, amongst the mess and madness that was central Auckland. It looked as if there had been riots in the area. Good times. From Queen's Street, we headed down to the harbour and to Mexicali Fresh which was still open and still serving beers. Nothing more needed there.

After some time at Mexicali Fresh, we jumped in a cab back to Parnell and since Suzie was on a mission to find food, we managed to find probably the only pub open in Parnell - the Ivory Lounge bar. After a bit of food and a couple of Heinekens, we decided it was time to leave and head back down to the road to our hostel. It was only the next morning we put two and two together and realised it was a gay colourful bar, so rather glad we got out of there when we did! But it all made for an excellent day, from the vibrant start to the messy finish. And that ticks an opening ceremony for the rugby world cup off the list :)