Rotorua 'International' Stadium
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@KiwiPie said in Rotorua 'International' Stadium:
@shark Don't bother looking up the Speedway stadium, the Bay don't even play there any more. It was all seater and under cover but you're a long way from the field. Some happy memories of watching a decent team there ....
I think it's the worst park I've ever watched pro rugby in. You're just too far removed from the action.
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The other thing I recall now about my substandard child un-friendly experience 12 years ago at Rotorua.
When you come into the ground (lateish) on the grandstand side corner. The field is lit up by the floodlights but the embankment is a dark grey mass of unlit heaving humanity. You can't stand there and look at the embankment for maybe a patch of green in the top corner that you can take your kids to.
It's guessing in the dark.
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@nzzp said in Rotorua 'International' Stadium:
@Rapido said in Rotorua 'International' Stadium:
@dogmeat said in Rotorua 'International' Stadium:
I don't think an extra flight was required given they could have flown (e.g.) Dunedin to Hamilton Sunday rather than Dunedin to Rotorua on a Wednesday.
However if as seems the only logical proposition you don't want to go to the SI twice then playing 3 games in two cities in 8 days probably wasn't the best option.
With hindsight the Prov Baba's could/should have been at N Plymouth and The Maori at Okara Park (or whatever its called nowadays)
Okara Park and Rotorua Stadium are almost identical though.
I was at both venues - both were wet as, with mud underfoot. Whangarei was much closer to town though - a relatively short walk. Rotorua suffered from the distance, and the need to bus everyone closer to the ground.
I say closer, as it was still a 10 minute walk to the bank
Also, having been to many rugby games, I expect not to eat or drink at the ground. Getting beers can often be a 20 minute round trip (or more at halftime), and it's just not worth it. Preload, sideload or just make do ... whatever works, but I personally have given up on getting service at busy stadia
Probably a bit of an archaic attitude given the expectation of modern fans. And this is no excuse for Rotorua Stadium being as shit as it was.
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The whole "Minimise the Lions fans' travel by keeping this game close to Auckland' thing is a crock of shit too. The NZRU already had them travelling from from Auckland to Whangarei, back to Auckland, to the SI for two games, back up to the upper North Island then Wellington and finally back to Auckland.
What I suggest would have worked is a third game in the SI (the Maori game) replacing Rotorua and then heading to Hamilton for the Chiefs game. Bugger all - if any - extra travel, a better stadium experience no matter what, probably greater revenue, and another game in am Island lacking in Lions fever.
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@Unite said in Rotorua 'International' Stadium:
It should have been in Invercargill and all flights from the SI to the NI should have been 'delayed' for the following 5 days...everyone loves a bus trip...
Worse things could happen than an enforced detour through Central Otago
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@Nepia said in Rotorua 'International' Stadium:
@KiwiPie said in Rotorua 'International' Stadium:
Don't bother looking up the Speedway stadium, the Bay don't even play there any more. It was all seater and under cover but you're a long way from the field. Some happy memories of watching a decent team there ....
I think it's the worst park I've ever watched pro rugby in. You're just too far removed from the action.
Agree. And for all those bitching about transport to and from International Stadium, the worst traffic congestion I've experienced after a rugby game was at BayPark. This is despite having a fuckin' large roundabout outside!
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Thankfully Baypark won't be a rugby ground again - though I miss being able to walk to the games. Tauranga games are back to the Domain, and one day maybe this...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11513188
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@shark said in Rotorua 'International' Stadium:
The whole "Minimise the Lions fans' travel by keeping this game close to Auckland' thing is a crock of shit too. The NZRU already had them travelling from from Auckland to Whangarei, back to Auckland, to the SI for two games, back up to the upper North Island then Wellington and finally back to Auckland.
What I suggest would have worked is a third game in the SI (the Maori game) replacing Rotorua and then heading to Hamilton for the Chiefs game. Bugger all - if any - extra travel, a better stadium experience no matter what, probably greater revenue, and another game in am Island lacking in Lions fever.
I think probably a lot of the package tours started with this week.
I'd say most of the Lions tourists in the earlier weeks were independents.
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@taniwharugby said in Rotorua 'International' Stadium:
@dogmeat you might be a cnut!
Nothing wrong with our stadium for our normal crowds of under 5000I'm a fluffybunny for suggesting you should have hosted the Maori (last Saturday for the benfit of @ rapido)?
Your other post did remind me that I have been to Okara Park twice. To see Harbour smash the Taniwha with a last minute try in the late 90's and in 72 to bring the log back south
That cnutish enough for ya?
