Auld Mug off on its own tour of New Zealand

The America’s Cup is all of New Zealand’s Cup after all.

At the climax of yesterday’s Team New Zealand parade through central Auckland, team boss Grant Dalton revealed the Auld Mug celebrations would continue throughout the country, confirming two further stopovers in Christchurch next Wednesday (July 12) and Dunedin the following day.

The road show was already scheduled to visit Wellington on Tuesday (July 11).

“To all the people who have turned out today, wow, we are just blown away,” said Dalton. “If you went into the team now and asked, they’d be in absolutely shell-shock over what we’ve seen today.

“People have come from near and far to be with us, and it’s been just phenomenal.

“We will make sure that, in conjunction with our sponsors, we tour the Cup to the provincial centres, the heartland of New Zealand, where the real people live.

“For us, this is a win for all New Zealand. We are incredibly proud Kiwis, every single one of us.”

Team NZ are probably still days or weeks away from revealing the shape of the next America’s Cup defence, but are almost certain to stage that regatta in Auckland.

Although foiling catamarans have proved popular over the past two defences, Dalton has already hinted at a return to more conventional craft, capable of surviving the robust winds of the Hauraki Gulf.

The contest is also likely to include some kind of nationality rule. In Bermuda, only two of the six teams featured homegrown skippers, with Team NZ, Oracle Team USA and Artemis Racing (Sweden) all led by Australians.