Those 7pm kick-offs have made it impossible for me to get down from Auckland and back on the same day. I made it down last year 5 times - 4 on the same day. I can do it for under $100 that way; if I need an overnight then it more than doubles that. I can't afford that.
Incidentally when on the plane back I always saw 5 or 6 people at least who had obviously been to the game; then there were people like me who had been but were not obvious. And that was just on whatever flight I was on: there are around 8 flights that one could get back on after the game. And then there are people from Christchurch etc.? I don't know how many people in total went down and back on the same day but every bum on a seat counts!
Anyway I can make a game or two in the new year so I'll be there and I've bitten the bullet and bought a membership. I've just forked out $100 for the Violent Femmes concert in March so it's economise for a wee while for me!
I know flights are out but I wonder if an overnight bus could be an option. Just searching for the date of the next game out of interest, Mana Bus have a 9.45pm bus from Wellington to Auckland (arriving 8.25am) for $25 and they leave from in front of the train station. 7pm kickoff would finish around 9pm so you could easily make it. Think they have a bus this sort of time most days. I've done it during the day (well Hamilton to Wellington so not quite the full way) and it's comfortable enough but don't know what it would be like overnight or trying to sleep. Could something like this be an option without having to stay the night in Wellington?
Edit: Oops I realise the next game is 7.30pm so that probably wouldn't quite work unless you left a few minutes before full time but for 19th December they also have one the same time and it's only $10 at the moment.