Kiwis settle in as Winter Olympics near

New Zealand Winter Olympic team members performed an impromptu haka in the streets of Whistler last night as they welcomed fellow members to the ski resort.

It was a sign the 2010 Winter Games is fast approcaching with both Vancouver and Whistler, which is about two hours drive away, are draped in blue and green banners welcoming athletes arriving into the Olympic villages.

New Zealand winter performance programme manager Ashley Light described atmosphere at Whistler as ''just fantastic''.

''It's really good, the whole village is behind it,'' he said.

Vancouver itself is also in party mode.

Canadians love their winter sport. Ice hockey is leading the news this week and much of how Canada's views its success will be based on what colour medal the home team scores.

Light said the New Zealand athletes who had arrived were settling in well and tracking ''according to predictions'' so far.

''There's some exciting (build-up) results coming from the likes of Shane Dobbin in the speed skating disciplines,'' he said.

Light added that ''any top 10 finishes will be very credible for New Zealand'', listing Dobbin, freestyle skier Mitchey Greig, skeleton pair  ... Sandford and Stoddard and halfpipe snowboarder Julianne Bray as contenders.”

Most of the Kiwi team is in the villages with Whistler hosting Greig, alpine skiers Tim Cafe and Ben Griffin and cross country skier Katie Calder. Speed skaters Dobbin and Blake Skjellerup are staying in downtown Vancouver.

Biathlete Sarah Murphy will arrive today and cross country skier Ben Koons tomorrow. The snowboard and skeleton crews will arrive on Thursday.

Cafe blogged yesterday that Whistler was a "world of security, excitement, smurf-dressed volunteers and a huge bag of new uniforms".

"The village itself is overwhelming - getting in and out is more intense than airport security," he said. "The enormous food hall is great, and the gym is interesting - a diverse mix of different sportspeople ranging from giant bobsledders to tiny ski jumpers. It's great to be amongst so many incredible athletes."

The Kiwi team is into last-minute training this week before competition begins on Sunday (New Zealand) time.

New Zealand's first competitors will be Dobbin and Skjellerup in the speed skating and Murphy who will contest the 7.5km sprint biathlon on Sunday. Murphy is the first New Zealander to compete in an Olympic biathlon, a sport where competitors race on skis and shoot at targets.

The team's first official function is set for Friday with a meal hosted by the members of the Squamish tribe, an indigneous first nation people who live near Vancouver.

New Zealand multiple Olympic gold medallist, boardsailer Barbara Kendall, will be one of the Olympic torchbearers on Saturday (New Zealand) time. The same day, Winter Olympic secretary Barry Maister will take an oath as an International Olympic Committee team member.

- © Fairfax NZ News