The drawn-out death of New Zealand's House of Pain, the iconic Carisbrook ground in the southern city of Dunedin, finally came to an end when the All Blacks beat Fiji 60-14.

When the All Blacks boarded the bus back to their hotel on Friday and the giant iron gates clanged shut behind them, it was clear that it was for the last time.

Three times in the past, the nearest Test venue to the South Pole has been given the last rites - and three times it was bought back to life.

But with a new state-of-the-art, roofed stadium ready to open on the other side of Dunedin city in two weeks and to be used in the World Cup in September, the grand old lady of New Zealand rugby cannot earn another reprieve.

The win over Fiji was the All Blacks' 32nd victory from 38 outings over the past 103 years at "The Brook", and with a winning average of 84 percent it was their most rewarding ground.

Their high success rate also saw Carisbrook dubbed the House of Pain by visiting teams because it was difficult for them to win there and the weather was often atrocious.

Carisbrook has hosted football, rugby league and cricket internationals, but it is as a rugby Test venue that it earned its reputation, with the stands often holding raucous crowds unfazed by wintry weather.

Former All Blacks flyhalf and current coach Wayne Smith recalls wearing a wetsuit to keep warm in the 1983 Test against the British and Irish Lions, which the All Blacks won 15-8.

"In the lead-up we trained in snow, and it was the first time technology came into the game because we went from wearing rubbish bags to keep warm, to neoprene sleeveless tops, which was fantastic," Smith said.

Further out in the backline, fullback Allan Hewson and wing Stu Wilson wore woollen fingerless gloves to keep their hands warm.

Carisbrook may have been a desolate place, with heavy iron gates and rickety stands more reminiscent of its 1800s origins than of a 21st-century international sports venue, but it had plenty of charm and character.

However, its charisma was not enough to help it survive and it was clear when New Zealand won the right to host the 2011 World Cup that Carisbrook was past its use-by date.

The first attempt to close the famous ground was in 2009. With the aim of going out in a blaze of glory, New Zealand declared the last game would be against arch-rivals South Africa, who had never tasted success at Carisbrook.

The Springboks won that match 30-28, so it was decided to try to close Carisbrook the following year against the French who had never played there before - but France won 27-22.

With Carisbrook's fearsome reputation taking a hammering, the All Blacks turned to Wales and felt they had at last made a fond farewell to the hallowed ground with a 42-9 win.

But Carisbrook was not yet done. It was brought back to life for one final appearance so that the All Blacks could play one match in New Zealand's South Island this year, and to raise money for earthquake-stricken Christchurch.

All Blacks coach Graham Henry had praised Carisbrook as "a special ground in New Zealand" with a "very vocal, and very supportive" crowd close to the sideline.

But three previous death sentences had clearly robbed The Brook of its aura.

This time there was no glitz and farewell glamour, no helicopters flying in celebrities to dig up a piece of the hallowed turf, no fireworks extravaganza and no commemorative T-shirts.

Instead, Carisbrook was barely half full, with only 15,000 people to see the All Blacks beat Fiji.

AFP