Auld Mug held high for Auckland
A bit of thunder, lightning and heavy rain wasn’t going to deter the thousands of people who turned out to watch Team New Zealand parade the Auld Mug through downtown Auckland.
The City of Sails was truly that yesterday, as an estimated 80,000 people descended around the Viaduct, on land and sea, to celebrate the boys’ success.
The police marching band and bagpipers, teams of cheerleaders and acrobats all played a hand in warming the crowd up, in anticipation of the sailing team’s arrival.
Cries, cheers and rounds of applause echoed Queen St as helmsman Peter Burling held the America’s Cup high.
The rain didn’t put a damper on the celebrations. Team New Zealand paraded through Auckland’s CBD on a convoy of black utes.
More than 100 boats and a flotilla of waka followed Team New Zealand’s crew members as they took to the water, sailing from Viaduct Basin to Princes Wharf and Queens Wharf.
Prime Minister Bill English joined the festivities at the Viaduct: ‘‘New Zealand wants to thank you, and acknowledge you.
‘‘It’s been 17 years since we’ve won this cup ... thank you for your professionalism, your commitment, your excellence and your display to the world of the best that comes from a small country at the bottom of the world.’’
Team New Zealand chief executive Grant Dalton said he was keen to take the cup to the provinces after the parade in Wellington next Tuesday.
Christchurch will host a parade next Wednesday, while on Thursday, Dunedin will be able to celebrate with Team New Zealand too. ‘‘We will make sure we tour the cup to the provincial centres, the heartland of New Zealand where the real people live.’’
The team were welcomed with an official powhiri by Ngati Whatua members on Queen St. Mayor Phil Goff said Aucklanders ‘‘really turned out’’ despite the conditions. ‘‘I walked with the crowd and people were there really happy and really proud to celebrate, it was worth every dollar we put into it.’’
A crucial cog in returning the America’s Cup to Kiwi shores has indicated his intentions to stay with Team New Zealand.
Those who sailed Aotearoa to glory in Bermuda last week, primarily skipper Glenn Ashby, helmsman Peter Burling and foil-trimmer Blair Tuke, have deservedly received a lot of the limelight following the successful quest to bring the Auld Mug home.
But the trio have also given a huge amount of credit to the many members of the tight-knit team not onboard as the Kiwi syndicate secured the oldest trophy in international sport for a third time.
Chief executive Grant Dalton is one who has rightfully come in for much praise, while there can be little doubt those behind the brilliant Kiwi boat also fit into that category.
Team New Zealand’s aggressive and innovative approach to the set-up of their AC50 catamaran was vital to victory, giving them a winning edge over rivals that took a safer, more traditional approach.
With speculation swirling whether the new holders of the Cup would be able to hold onto their key talent, the man at the head of that design team looked set to stay on for the defence.
‘‘We’ve got a fantastic team here and everyone in the team has been really enthusiastic about being part of it,’’ technical director Dan Bernasconi said yesterday. ‘‘Nearly everyone wants to stay and be a part of what comes next and I think the team will stay largely as it is.’’
It is easy to see why Team New Zealand would be wary of losing such an integral figure like Bernasconi.
Not only has he played a major part in making the Kiwi boat quicker than the rest, the syndicate knows what it is like to lose their best design mind after previous head of that department Nick Holroyd departed to Team Japan after the unsuccessful 2013 campaign.
As he revelled in the victory parade in Auckland yesterday, there was little to suggest the man who spent six years with the McLaren Formula One team before switching to sailing was intending on repeating history.
Asked if he had received offers from other syndicates looking to snap up Team New Zealand’s valuable intellectual property, Bernasconi did not deny he had but again offered reason for Kiwi fans to be optimistic.
‘‘Other teams are obviously looking to re-create some of what we’ve done and are keen to get some of the experience and knowledge we have but we have a really strong team and I think we’ll stick together.
‘‘At the moment we are just enjoying the celebration and the relief of achieving what we wanted to achieve. Over the next few weeks we’ll sit down and think about the future but we are all going to take some time off first.’’
If he does intend to become part of the defence, it is still not known what class of boat Bernasconi and his team of design gurus will be given to work their magic on.
The high-tech, high-speed foiling catamarans used on Bermuda’s Great Sound made for some of the most exciting racing the America’s Cup has seen.
Dalton admitted that but did raise initial doubts about their suitability for Auckland conditions, while it is rumoured Team New Zealand are favouring a move to foiling monohulls.