New Zealand was billed as an exciting thrill-seeking destination. Many people were exited to partake in extreme sports, Bungee Jumping or Zorbing, venture off to see the dramatic landscapes from Lord of the Rings, or get a sense of scale for the extensive sheep farming industry. But Dad and I were excited about visiting Auckland for another reason: its reputation for sailing. So while many of my compatriots jetted off around the country I chose to stay local and experience Auckland.
Left to my own devices, I struck out away from the harbor and ended up at the Lion Brewery for a tour of the facility and a sample in the tasting room. Oddly enough a few other SASers arrived while I was there and we had a great afternoon. That evening we took a visit up the city’s landmark sky tower. Standing on the glass floor was adventure enough for me, I was not tempted to do the tethered drop. (so extreme)
The next morning I stopped in to one of the extreme sports companies and signed up for the Auckland Bridge Climb. The Harbor Bridge is a steel arch truss bridge 210 feet off the water. Basically we walked up the arch over the roadway for a nice view of the Waitematā Harbor. Of course there was bungee jumping on offer at the top; so extreme. The had us wear pocketless jumpsuits so we didn’t have any handhelds to drop on passing cars, which meant they could also sell us souvenir photos since we couldn’t take our own.
That afternoon I walked around the Viaduct Basin and visited the Doyle Sail loft (where our new D4 sails were built) with by Dad. This area played host to the America’s Cup in 2000 and there were many team facilities and markers remaining. Also on display is the KZ1 yacht, a massive purpose-built America’s Cup challenger which Dennis Conner famously beat with a catamaran in 1988.
On our final day in New Zealand I had booked a sail on NZL40, a former America’s Cup yacht that sailed in 1995 and 2000 events. It conformed to the International America’s Cup Class specifications and so was much more representative of a modern America’s Cup boat than the KZ1 or other “no rules” challenges. So it was pretty exciting to get to crew aboard to experience the loads, winches, and speeds; even for a day-sail. It was tons of fun and I took tons of pictures.
The next port of call for Semester at Sea is