Our last day on the Isle of Man was spent in Castletown and at the Villa Marina later for the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Youth Games. We travelled to Castletown in the morning by steam train! Many of the team commented on feeling like Harry Potter heading to Hogwarts. The gentle lull of the steam engine travelling through the countryside put many members to sleep during the journey. Upon arrival in Castletown, our group headed to Castle Rushen, the best kept medieval castle in the UK according to one local. Team kiwi divided in two and attempted to complete 15 tasks for the Castle Rushen Challenge. These activities included spending three minutes in a spooky dungeon, juggling, archery, dressing up in medieval armour, hoisting a flag, learning a traditional Manx dance, counting to ten in traditional Manx Gaelic language and playing a traditional Viking game of Kubb. Needless to say both teams were miles ahead of every other nation. Upon return to Douglas, the team headed to the Villa Marina for the closing ceremony of the Games which included a BBQ dinner, nations march down the promenade and disco. Stunt motorcyclist Steve Colley entertained the crowd briefly outside with some impressive tricks off a ramp and a truck! Later on, the majority of team members were unrecognisable after swapping highly sought-after New Zealand team uniform for other countries Games kit. The extensive haka practice well and truly paid off when team kiwi performed a haka to an audience of approximately 600 people during the BBQ time. Sweet-talking Chef de Mission Peter Wardell persuaded the MC that this would be a fantastic idea. He was not wrong. The final words of the haka echoed around the walls of Villa Marina, leaving the audience stunned speechless before erupting into applause. The team was on the dance floor for the majority of the night and all headed home exhausted but happy! Tomorrow the team will sail to Heysham on the freight ferry in forecasted choppy conditions as we begin our journey home. Hopefully we can fight off the sea sickness! See you soon family and friends, please wish us a safe trip back!
Tweet Share