Good vibrations on the menu for coach

A relaxed Ian Foster enjoyed a bowl of seafood chowder and updated his record collection as he tested the mood in Canterbury on Wednesday.

Both experiences, the All Blacks coach noted, were good for the soul.

Foster didn’t squander the opportunity to venture out of the team hotel on the All Blacks

‘‘rest day’’, and it seems his foray onto the streets of Christchurch and beyond, to a tiny picturesque settlement that overlooks Lyttelton Harbour, was worth the effort.

The reception from the locals, Foster said, was warm.

The way he told it, he copped no grief from fans aggrieved that Crusaders coach Scott Robertson had been frozen out of the All Blacks coaching job.

Had the NZ Rugby board not voted for Foster to continue as coach last week, Robertson would have been the man preparing the All Blacks to play Argentina at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch tomorrow night.

‘‘Pretty good,’’ was Foster’s reply when quizzed about the vibe from Cantabrians.

‘‘I had a seafood chowder at the Governors Bay pub yesterday, and they were very excited to see me.’’

With the weather unseasonably warm, and the native birds chirping on the edge of the Port Hills, Foster may have finally felt at ease as he contemplated the recent series of events that led him to be retained as All Blacks coach.

Had the All Blacks not produced an excellent performance to beat the Springboks 35-23 in Johannesburg on August 14, his career would likely have been canned.

Having enjoyed his chowder, Foster ventured back into the city and stopped at a shop that sells new and second-hand vinyl records, CDS and DVDS.

Again, the vibe was good. The friendly man at the store made Foster feel welcome, and cut him a deal. ‘‘And then I bought three second-hand vinyls at Penny Lane on Colombo Street, and he said I was the first All Blacks coach to visit,’’ Foster said.

‘‘So I am two out of two. I think it is great being here.’’ Foster purchased two albums by Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, and a 1970s compilation of New Zealand hits. ‘‘It cost me 30 bucks. He gave me a discount.’’

‘‘I think it is great being here.’’ Ian Foster, right,