Just when I think I’ve seen all the great places in New Zealand, I find another one. The latest addition to my list is Richmond, in the Mainland’s Tasman District, which Dr McWaine and I visited earlier this week in the run-up to the USA-Italy rugby match.

A warm reception in Richmond.

Having adopted the USA for the Rugby World Cup, Richmond rolled out the red carpet with unabashed enthusiasm and great panache, welcoming the Eagles, me, and all the other visiting American fans with typical Tasman warmth.

A few junior members of the welcome committee.

After making the short airplane hop across the Cook Strait from Wellington, Dr McWaine and I were hosted by Mayor Richard Kempthorne, Mayoress Jane, and their son, American daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren for morning tea at city hall.

With Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne before changing into my Eagles jersey for the parade.

After tea we mustered with almost a thousand other marchers for a grand small-town-America parade down Richmond’s main street, which was lined with a couple thousand Tasman residents.

Spectators waiting along Queen Street for the parade.

Leading the parade were several hundred school children and teachers in American-themed hats that they had made themselves.

The procession starts down Queen Street.

There were also a marching band, cheerleaders, motorcyclists on Harleys …

Can't have a USA parade without a Harley.

… country-western dancers in cowboy togs, rock-and-rollers, vintage World War II jeeps, an armored personnel vehicle that looked like a tank …

… and a fleet of vintage American cars. The Mayor, Mayoress, Dr McWaine, and I rode in beautifully maintained American vehicles from the early years of the last century.

Riding in the Parade.

Red, white, and blue were the colors of the day. There were American flags everywhere. And the Eagles players were conveyed in grand style … signing autographs, shaking hands, and chatting with spectators as they went.

USA Eagle Colin Hawley shaking hands with a fan.

The parade ended in Sundial Square where we took to a stage for short speeches, cheers, music, and dancing followed by a full-on traditional American block party. With plenty of food stalls serving American (including brick-oven pizza) and Kiwi (including whitebait fritters) favorites, activity tents (including one where my colleague Shauna did face painting), and live entertainment, the party ran all afternoon and evening.

A couple of USA fans rolling up to the block party in style.

Of course festivities continued on the morrow, Game Day, with two big traditional American tailgate parties. Richmond hosted one at the A&P Showgrounds with games, other interactive activities, live music and dance, plenty of food, and a fleet of USA-themed buses to carry folks to the game. The Embassy hosted a second raucous tailgate party at the Elsewhere Café, close to the stadium.

A few early arrivals at our tailgate party before the game.

Our visit to Tasman, though, was not just about rugby. I had the great pleasure of visiting several local schools and speaking to groups of students and teachers at Waimea College, Richmond Primary School, and Nelson College. I can’t speak highly enough about those encounters.

The 8- and 9-year-olds on the student council at Richmond Primary were poised, articulate, and bubbling with energy and enthusiasm. The 11th & 12th year history students at Waimea engaged me in vigorous discussion about world events. And I was greatly impressed with the facilities, curriculum, and students at Nelson College, where the first rugby match ever played in New Zealand was held (in 1870).

Talking with students at Waimea College.

As you can probably tell, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Richmond and the Tasman District. Everyone I met was extraordinarily warm and friendly. The weather was sunny and beautiful. Local residents assured me that it’s usually like that, citing a variety of authoritative meteorological statistics indicating that the top of the Mainland gets more sunshine than any other region in New Zealand.

And the Tasman landscape is stunningly beautiful. Sparsely populated in most areas, the District contains three glorious national parks — Abel Tasman, Kahurangi, and Nelson Lakes. The region has just about everything … beautiful mountains, pristine rivers and forests, deep cave networks, golden beaches,  great fishing, and a great diversity of plant and bird life.

Our schedule allowed me only a couple of hours to sample the outdoors between meetings and official events. I’m already planning my next visit, though, when I hope to go off the meter and explore.