All Black competition winner Steve Hsiao and his wife Judy Chou in at the Milennium Stadium.
Steve Hsiao had the experience of a lifetime when he won a Herald trip to the UK to follow the All Blacks. Dylan Cleaver chronicles his journey.
When Steve Hsiao won a trip for two to watch the All Blacks play on their end-of-year tour he had no idea what to expect.
The 30-year-old design engineer from Albany has followed the All Blacks for years, but never in the flesh. So when Hsiao and his wife Judy Chou joined the rest of his All Blacks Tours comrades for this month's test against England at Twickenham, it was his first live international rugby experience.
He picked a decent old stoush to get off the mark with, New Zealand winning 24-21 as the match finished in a torrential downpour.
The next test, against Scotland, was only a little bit easier on the nerves, a second-string All Black side scraping through 24-16 against the committed Scots.
"Murrayfield was a different experience to Twickenham, with the Scottish fans being a much friendlier bunch to have as company," Hsiao said. "The highlight of the game was the streaker to lighten up the otherwise underwhelming All Blacks performance."
But we are, as they say, getting a bit ahead of ourselves.
Before they entered the cathedrals of Twickenham and Murrayfield, there was a bit of sight-seeing to do.
"We went to the Tower of London and were lucky enough to see the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red poppy installation. Some 888,246 (ish) hand-made ceramic poppies are installed around the Tower.
"The poppies are breathtakingly beautiful, and to be reminded that each of the poppy is a life lost was incredibly humbling," Hsiao said.
From London the tour travelled north to Scotland, stopping in the Sherwood forest for lunch, before an overnight excursion at Newcastle, home to the Geordies.
"Thanks to the walking tour organised by All Blacks Tours, we got to see Newcastle with a personalised introduction. Not knowing what to expect, Newcastle and its magnificent bridges and buildings was far more interesting than what I had been led to believe by my colleagues back home."
In Edinburgh, Steve and Judy got to see the All Blacks train for the first time, which gave them a fascinating insight into a high-performance sports environment, and later they got to personally meet five of the team at a meet-and-greet.
"The highlight here was the private function at Edinburgh Castle with an exclusive viewing of the Scottish Military Tattoo," Hsiao said. "Getting to see the beautiful city of Edinburgh was an amazing experience in itself, but the [Tattoo] is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we are fortunate enough to tick off our bucket list."
The couple have been together for 10 years and married for two. They wanted to come to the UK on their honeymoon, but couldn't afford it. The trip have provided the perfect opportunity to make good on that wish.
From Edinburgh, the tour coach wended its way back down the island to Cardiff, stopping first at the port city of Liverpool.
"It was amazing how much we managed to squeeze into a quick one-and-a-half day visit to Liverpool, from experiencing the Beatle Mania at the Beatles Story, to a visit to the home of Liverpool Football Club and stroll along the Albert Dock and its array of wonderful museums."
The All Blacks tour finished at Cardiff. The group were privileged to enjoy a few farewell drinks at Cardiff Castle, "a wonderful backdrop to conclude an exciting tour of the United Kingdom".
And then there was the footy; the final test of the year inside a packed Millennium Stadium against a fired-up Welsh team.
"The first half of the game was not an easy game to watch, but when the All Blacks turned it around during the second half, the fervent cheering of the All Blacks supporters was electrifying.
"Our throats were coarse and our hands were red from celebrating Steve Hansen, All Blacks and Brodie Retallick from winning Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, and Player of the Year."
* Dylan Cleaver travelled to Chicago and London courtesy of All Blacks Tours. Check out their World Cup packages at www.allblackstours.com