Whangārei welcomes buzz ahead of rare sporting spectacle as it hosts Māori All Blacks and Scotland
Photo:
RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Excitement is building and accommodation is packed in Whangārei today ahead of the city's biggest sporting fixture in three years.
The gates at Semenoff Stadium open at 12.30pm with kick-off in the Māori All Blacks versus Scotland clash due at 3.35pm.
The double-header gets underway at 1.05pm when the Black Ferns take on the Black Ferns XV.
It's the first time in 25 years the Māori All Blacks and Scotland have met in Whangārei.
It's also the city's biggest game since New Zealand met Scotland in pool play of the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup, which was held in October 2022 due to the Covid pandemic.
Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said more than 9000 tickets had been sold as of Friday, with the final number expected to top 10,000.
He said the grandstand had sold out but there was still room on the embankments.
"The clash of these two nations, it hasn't happened in Whangārei for 25 years. It's going to be an epic day," he said.
The influx of visitors would also mean a "huge" economic boost for the city, in mid-winter when it was most needed.
"Let's put this way, I don't think there's a spare bedroom available in any of the hotels."
Cocurullo said excitement about the match was heightened by the Whangārei District's strong Māori and Scottish heritage.
Large numbers of Scots settled at Whangārei Heads and in Waipū in the mid-19th century, travelling from their homeland via the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Cocurullo was also excited about the Black Ferns versus Black Ferns XV opener, which he said would help decide who ended up playing for New Zealand in upcoming international matches.
Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leah McKerrow said the city was already buzzing on Friday, and she had spotted many supporters on the streets clad in traditional Scottish kilts.
"The more we can encourage sports, entertainment and arts events into our region, the better for our economy ... anything like this is an opportunity for small businesses to pick up the extra volume of people that are around," she said.
Whangārei hotels and motels RNZ spoke to on Friday were booked out and were still fielding phone calls from out-of-towners hoping to stay for the weekend.
The Settlers Hotel, on Hatea Drive near the city centre, had been fully booked by the Scottish team.
Pubs and cafes were also girding themselves for a big weekend.
Rob Lang, of the Judge House of Ale on Walton Street, said his establishment had embraced the game by bringing in a Scottish-themed menu and decorating the bar with Scottish paraphernalia.
He had brought in extra staff to deal with the expected game-night crowd.
Special menu items included mince and tatties (stewed mince with mashed potato) and "stovies" (a dish made with potatoes, onions, roast meat and beef dripping) as well as some New Zealand favourites such as ika mata (raw fish salad) and snapper burgers with frybread.
Lang was hopeful of hosting the Scots at some point, after the team's selectors dropped in on Thursday night to check out the premises.
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