Auckland / New Zealand
America's Cup
Minoru Hirosako / Marubeni New Zealand Ltd.
Minoru Hirosako / Marubeni New Zealand Ltd.
Upon arrival at Auckland Airport, one cannot help notice the words "City of Sails" on the airport terminal building. Waitemata Harbor in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, is filled with countless yachts and pleasure boats on weekends.
To the Kiwis (as New Zealanders are affectionately called), the most important event is America's Cup, the competition to decide the best yacht crew in the world. Our Team New Zealand first captured the cup in 1995. It successfully defended the cup in 2000, and this time it will be the second match as the champions. The challenger is Alinghi, the Swiss team that dominated the competition in Louis Vuitton Cup, the preliminary round, by going 25 wins against 3 losses. There was a big commotion in New Zealand, however, after it was discovered that six principal members of the last Team New Zealand had transferred to the Swiss team, including the world's top skipper Russell Coutts.
Labeled the"loneliest man in New Zealand,"Russell Coutts left his motherland after his dominating victory (5 to 0) to reemerge as a challenger against his motherland. Coutts faced a new skipper, Dean Parker. Newspapers' top pages were flooded with America's Cup. Radio, television, and just about everywhere you go, the talk was America's Cup. Cars flew their team banners and supermarket clerks dressed in black t-shirts, the official team color. Including sales of related products, the economic effect of America's Cup is said to have amounted to NZ$2,600 million (¥170,000 million), and is attributed for supporting the current economic boom. The outcome, however, was 5 to 0, Alinghi. For the first time in America Cup's 152-year history, the cup traveled to Europe.
Luxury ships cheer for Team New Zealand
This message can be seen everywhere in the city
Kiwis, however, are quick to recover. As Black Caps turn in an outstanding performance in the cricket world championship and as the All Blacks prepare to recapture their top world standing in October's World Cup, the talk has already shifted to rugby. The new challenge has already begun, as Kiwis dream of the day when All Whites appear in soccer's World cup, Tall Blacks beat the U.S. Dream Team in basketball, and Ball Blacks win the gold medal in Olympic softball.
Sheep is king in this country
Marubeni Group magazine "M-SPIRIT" VOL.15 (May,2003)
