Record Breakers

On the day that Auckand temperatures reached a record level - 32.4 degrees, the hottest since records began in 1868 - we headed to the North Shore Events Centre in Takapuna to see our first basketball match, thanks to an invitation from one of my new colleagues.

The Auckland-based NZ Breakers were playing the Cairns Taipans - a key match in the ANBL ladder, according to the New Zealand Herald. It was an incredible spectacle, rather medieval in nature. In addition to the action on court, there were gymnasts, cheerleaders, drummers and small boys polishing the floor, making me wonder whether there was going to be curling too.

The crowd was keyed up and the play rewarding. After losing six games in a row, the Breakers found their stride and led the opposition throughout the match. The final score was 103-69 earning the Breakers their first home quarter final.

And if evidence were needed that New Zealand is a very small place, we sat behind David Tua , a heavyweight boxer (and the 48th greatest puncher of all time, apparently), and spotted Jenny Shipley, the country's first woman prime minister.