January 16, 2009
Holiday in New Zealand
New Zealand U-17 vs Chile U-18. Can you spot Dylan on the starting line?
On January 12th I arrived back from my holiday in New Zealand which started on December 23rd. My holiday in New Zealand was mostly spent in a small place on the North Island called Whangamata. During the holidays this place is a very popular area for people to go because of its wonderful beach and small but spacious atmosphere.
My days in Whangamata mostly consisted of going to the beach around midday after sleeping-in and swimming and sunbathing until around 4 o’clock. After this I would go for a run to keep the fitness up and then relax until bedtime.
A good thing about Whangamata during the new year period is there are bands down at the surf club every night which makes sure that there is always something to do no matter what time of the day it is, as these bands run until 11 or 12 o’clock every night. During the day there are surfing and boogie board competitions on for all levels so anyone can enter.
My time in Whangamata will never be forgotten especially coming back from a hard working country like Japan and then having that experience will make it unforgettable. My plans for next year are the same and I will be counting down the days until I can return.
While I was in New Zealand I also had the chance to train and play for the NZ Under-17 National Team where we had a one week training camp which included two games against Chile Under-18 National Team. I was a starting member in both games but we lost the games 1-0 and 3-0 though we put up a good fight against a team that was a year older than us. Now I am just waiting to hear the final squad that will be named to play in the U-17 world cup in 2009. Crossing my fingers!
By Dylan Windust