Page 8 - 1983 Clippings

Trip of a life time
Jet lag is worth it - when Asia is the
destination.
The Ngaruawahia High School 1st XV
hacked the 10 hour flight because it was the
‘trip of a lifetime’ says coach Chris Grinter.
“We thought we’d give them the trip of
a lifetime rather than just the annual trip to
Australia. Most New Zealanders have been
there.”
The trip was a cultural, educational and
social experience.
Most of the boys have never been out
of New Zealand before, says Chris.
“To leave the country was really
something, but to go to Asia, well, most of
the boys have never thought of it before.”
Wherever the boys went, they were
popular.
“We were as much a novelty over there
as they were to us.”
Because the Asians were small, they
were in awe of the bigger New Zealand
boys.
“They were really taken with the boys.
Especially Joe Tahana, our Captain. He had
to sign autographs and pose with them. He
took it all in his stride.”
The boys played six games on the trip -
English School Jahor Bahru, Raffles
Huntly Press, October 19, 1983
Institution. Penang Technical Institute.
Penang Free School. Science School. Kuala
Lumpur, and United World College of South
East Asia.
All matches were won.
“We were the first rugby school team to
visit these schools and the welcome was
extremely warm,” says Chris.
While Ngaruawahia High is celebrating
its 21st birthday this year, Chris says, most
of the Asian schools they visited were
founded in the 1800’s, and had already
celebrated their 150th birthdays.
One of the high-lights of the trip was
the para-sailing and motor scooters on
Penang Island.
“Penang was the tropical paradise. The
hotel was really flash. Most of the boys had
never stayed in a hotel before,” says Chris.
The group had been billeted when they
were in Singapore, but staying together in
the hotel in Penang was more enjoyable, he
says.
Though Asia had its exotic food
delicacies to offer the boys, Kentucky Fried
Chicken and McDonalds proved more
popular, says Chris.
“But we were enthusiastic about the
local food, and ate a variety of Asian food.”