walking . is . overrated

Welcome back everyone, I hope your festive season was full of silly times and fun people, I know mine was! I thought I’d start 2008’s blogging adventure off with a bit of surprising and positive news, especially if you’re someone who frequents Eden Park.

It was with a slight hint of reluctance that I attended the Boxing Day ODI between NZ and Bangladesh, and not because of the questionable opposition, but because the placement of the wheelchair seating at Eden Park means that while the rest of the stadium basks in the brilliant Auckland sunshine, my pal and I are usually shivering our arses off at the back of the covered ASB stand. However, seeing as we were on the cusp of a new year, I decided to shake things up a bit, and see if we could sit down at ground level, like I had done once or twice before the stadium’s massive upgrade in 1999.

The first security guard I spoke to said there was no way I could sit anywhere else. But like they say, if at first you don’t succeed… So I spoke to another security guard, and she told me she’d ask her supervisor, although she didn’t hold high hopes. It was to my delight, then, when my mate and I were approached by a senior security guard who said he’d be happy to escort us down to the pitch level. Fantastic! We went on a bit of a journey, but we ended up sitting next to the corporate patrons, sitting on their deck chairs under their umbrellas, and who probably paid hundreds to be there. I paid $30! The image on the left is taken with my cellphone from where we ended up, not bad eh?

To be honest, it wasn’t the best place to actually watch the cricket from, as the lack of elevation made it a bit difficult to see what was going on, but the ability to relax in the sun and get a closeup view of the action made it all worthwhile. I totally recommend having a chat to the Red Badge Security team when you next go to a match at Eden Park and see if you can sneak downstairs too!