Brazil's women's sevens team have taken in the sights and sounds of a typical Kiwi summer, having spent the last month in New Zealand preparing for this weekend's Hamilton Sevens.
From trips to a marae, to the glow worm caves at Waitomo, even camping at Raglan for New Year's Eve, Brazil's Kiwi coach has been eager to ensure a proper build up to Hamilton.
The Brazil side, here since December, even took in a Kiwi Christmas.
"I never spend the holidays out of my home," co-captain Raquel Kochhann tells 1 NEWS.
"Every time I was with my family, and this was the first time and I have a new family here."
Having qualified for a spot on the World Sevens Series circuit last year, coach Reuben Samuel spent months organising their New Zealand stay.
"They weren't too sure what to expect," he says.
"They just knew we were coming to the rugby country of the world, and it was all about rugby."
From a football mad country, to a rugby loving one, there are a few differences between Brazil and New Zealand, the concrete jungle of Sao Paolo just one of them.
"In Brazil, in general, we don't have rugby fields. We have maybe two official rugby fields in the whole country," Kochhann adds.
Many of the Brazil side's adventures have been thanks to coach Samuel's local connections after a decade with Waikato - a special trip that has left a permanent mark.
"We know everyone's excited. We're in the home stretch," says co-captain Isadora Cerullo.
"We'll go back to Brazil but we'll definitely take a piece of New Zealand with us."
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