Rain, and the Brits hit town

Lions supporters Caroline Smith and Tony Hremiako chill out in the Auckland rain. Picture / Richard Robinson

No one wandering through central Auckland this week would need a Paul Revere type to tell them the British are coming.

But if Englishmen are supposed to be drawn out by the noon day sun, yesterday's teeming rain seemed to have roused the rest of the contributing Lions nations.

Red-coated rugby fans were the dominant feature of downtown bars and eateries, with still more thousands expected as the fleet of campervans trickle in before the last test at Eden Park on Saturday.

For bedraggled, 50-something Anglo-Scots Andrew Wilkinson and Sandy Blair, the pouring rain was an ideal time to enjoy a leisurely harbour cruise on a one-time America's Cup racehorse.

"It was the most amazing opportunity," said Mr Blair between downpours. "It was a little damp but we got to surf back in at 25 knots. We're going again on Sunday."

Water sport aside, the pair also used the break between Auckland matches to hone their skills in the activities now most associated with the tour - eating and drinking.

The bad weather - the same is forecast for the rest of the week, including Saturday - was the perfect excuse for two-time Lions followers Tony Hremiako and Caroline Smith to enjoy a chill-out day.

They have been enjoying birds-eye views of New Zealand via helicopter and hot-air balloon flights as well as some challenging hiking treks and have a whale and dolphin expedition booked for Sunday to complete their air, sea and land trifecta.

"With the rain we're just wandering about, relaxing. Till now we've tried to pack in as much touristy stuff as we can," said Ms Smith.

"But we're planning on returning to see the country in summer and catch a few more games if we can."

The Auckland War Memorial Museum reported its own sodden stream of marauding tour parties, including a scrum of close harmony Welshmen who needed little prompting to pause between display cases for an informal choral performance.

All good, but a spokeswoman for the museum was speaking for many in noting that the tourists seem to wear the same rugby shirts every day of the week. "Well they don't have a reputation for regular bathing do they," she laughed.

The Lions have also meant boom times for the city's naughtier underbelly.

Wendy Apaapa, from The White House strip club on Queen St, said they had been rocking every night this week, especially after the Auckland match on Tuesday.

"It was like a really busy Friday night crowd. We probably had at least 50 per cent more people than usual in the parlour downstairs and the strip club. Right now, it's boom time for this industry."

The club has extra strippers and escorts on duty until the tour ends.

Suggestions of activities British and Irish rugby fans could do on a wet day:

* Visit a local marae and apologise personally for the colonisation of Aotearoa.
* Visit local rugby clubs and apologise personally for the performance of the Lions team.
* Get that smelly Lions jersey drycleaned, or at least stand in the rain until it cleans itself.
* Come up with at least one other chant than "Lions. Lions. Lions".
* Track down the suddenly missing in action Freddie "Barmy Army" Parker