Score Extra Points in October With Rugby World Cup, Fly Buys and KHPA
October 2019 means three things for New Zealand: spring has sprung, our team is playing in the Rugby World Cup over in Japan, and you can earn extra Fly Buys points when you stay at any Kiwi Holiday Parks and Accommodation (KHPA) location, NZ-wide.
In this month’s blog we’re going to learn about the rugby world cup, New Zealand’s involvement with the egg-shaped ball, and look at some of the ways you can celebrate our nation’s favourite game as we get behind our national team and reigning world champions — the All Blacks.
What is the Rugby World Cup?
If you have no idea about the game of rugby, you should probably start with the ‘beginner’s guide to rugby’ to give some context to the rugby world cup (RWC).
The game of rugby was born in 1823 during a football game when William Webb Ellis — a student at Rugby School, England — picked up the ball and ran with it. Despite these early beginnings, the RWC didn’t start until 1987 (when France lost out to New Zealand in the final). The highly coveted event now takes place once every four years, is the third largest sports event in the world and the 2019 tournament is being played at 12 venues throughout Japan.
3 ways to embrace the RWC with activities around New Zealand
1. Give the kids a geography lesson
Being an international event hosting teams from 20 different nations, the RWC is an ideal opportunity to give your kids an interesting geography lesson. While hanging out in a KHPA communal area or killing time on the road, challenge them to find the different countries playing in the RWC on this map.
2. Visit the New Zealand Rugby Museum
Head to Palmerston North to visit the New Zealand Rugby Museum — home to NZ’s largest and most comprehensive collection of rugby-related memorabilia, artefacts and records. Items on show include the oldest rugby ball and the oldest All Blacks jersey. Attractions include the ‘Have a Go’ area where you can test out your tackling, kicking and pushing skills to see if you’re a candidate for the next ABs team!
3. Visit an iconic New Zealand rugby ground
Score a try at Eden Park in Auckland. This was where the All Blacks took their first RWC title and is only 3km from the centre of Auckland city.
Wellington’s Westpac Stadium is handy to the capital’s train station and is affectionately referred to as the Cake Tin for its aesthetic similarity. Next to Wellington’s waterfront, this stadium is a must-visit if you’d like to experience rugby in an electrifying atmosphere.
To combine our national game with Aotearoa’s natural beauty, check out Upper Clutha Rugby Club in Wanaka.
See a full list of hallowed NZ rugby grounds here.
Who will win the Rugby World Cup 2019?
Going by the statistics, you’d be silly to bet against the All Blacks who are currently ranked number one in the world and carry an 88% win percentage having won 45 of their 51 RWC matches. They’ve won three of the eight RWC tournaments to date so are the odds on favourite to be the winning team hoisting the Webb Ellis Cup over their heads after the final on 2 November.
The only other teams to have won the RWC since it began in 1987 are Australia, South Africa and England.
In addition to the New Zealand side, other favourites to win heading into the 2019 edition include Wales, Ireland, South Africa and England.
Explore NZ in October and earn extra Fly Buys points with KHPA
We can’t all be in Japan for the world cup, so Fly Buys and Kiwi Holiday Parks and Accommodation are offering ways to earn more Fly Buys points for everyone one back home in New Zealand in October.
If you stay at any KHPA location between 6 October and 2 November, you can earn 5x Fly Buys Points. Even better, if you get a Kiwi Membership Card during this period, you’ll also get 20 Bonus Points!
Learn how else you can save with a Kiwi Membership Card.
Where can I stay in New Zealand?
Kiwi Holiday Parks and Accommodation have nearly 40 locations from the top of the North Island to the very depths of the South Island. These sites all have roofed accommodation available and offer a wide variety of accommodation types to suit all budgets.
See where you can stay at a KHPA site.
Look at the different accommodation types available.
Enjoy your October in New Zealand and GO THE ALL BLACKS!
Images:
‘New Zealand + All Blacks’ by Frank Starmer via CC BY-SA 2.0.
‘Rugby World Cup 2011 – Fans’ by Kathrin & Stefan Marks via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
