Forward Thinking: Life after the Cup

Auckland City Mayor Len Brown on stage at the St Jerome's Laneway Festival at Aotea Square. Photo / NZ Herald

So what the hell am I supposed to do now? This might sound sad, but the end of the Rugby World Cup has left a gaping void in my life. You see, despite the emotional and physical toll games like the final and the semifinal against Australia took on me - I got the nervous hiccups many times on Sunday and for the Aussie game I broke out in anxious shivers half an hour out from kick-off - I love rugby. It's my favourite thing to watch on the box, even over beloved films like The Godfather and Star Wars.

And during the Cup it didn't matter if it was the dour war between USA and Russia in New Plymouth, the hammering of Australia in that semi, or the tense, near-debacle of the final, I have loved every minute of it.

But now it's finished. So apart from kicking balls around in the back yard with my almost 4-year-old - who's a staunch All Blacks supporter even though she prefers the team strip of Wales ("the ones in red") - I'm going to have to find something else to do.

And what do you know, since I've been forced to take off my RWC blinkers, I've realised there is quite a bit coming up.

It's summer after all with gig season and new season TV upon us - and for those wanting immediate kicks remember Halloween is on Monday night. So get your happy grump Graham Henry mask ready.

Meanwhile, much of the summer revelry will be happening at the Wynyard Quarter. The area is the new home to music festival Laneway, which finally has the resource consent go ahead from the council. Not surprising really given mayor Len Brown is a big fan of the festival, and was seen having a right old time back stage at the previous event with the girls from Warpaint. This year, though much of the hand-wringing and heart-flutters have been brought on by the Horrors, it's the mind-bending sound of Toro Y Moi and freaky Frenchies M83 (this year's Holy F*** perhaps?) I'm looking forward to.

The RWC final of rock shows is also on the horizon, with the Foo Fighters at Western Springs in December.

And though the Big Day Out line-up has the usual mix of excitement and yawns - it always ends up being party central come January 20. Apart from headliners Soundgarden, check out Mariachi El Bronx for a thigh-slapping knees-up.

Now the rugby has finished the TV networks are about to unveil their new season shows - and one to look out for on TV3 is Steven Spielberg's new multi-million dollar epic, Terra Nova. Having seen the pilot episode it's a mix of Lost (only less complicated and time-consuming), a good old-fashioned Disney family movie (because the script has its fair share of corny moments), with elements of Blade Runner (it begins in the year 2149) and Jurassic Park (because the main timeframe of the show is set 85 million years ago). Although if you're not sci-fi inclined then watch out for extreme jargon like "initiate portal dilation".

So it looks like I'm not going to be short on entertainment options over the coming months.

But if I happen to get a case of rugby withdrawal I've got the World Cup final taped - as ugly and full of anxious moments as it was - in case I need to watch it again.

Hic ... hic ... hic ....

-TimeOut