Tauranga residents have a special opportunity to view the 36th America’s Cup right in their backyard.
Bayfair Shopping Centre is hosting viewings of all the races at the centre's Emirates Team New Zealand Fan Zone escape.
The experience begins with the first two races today, as Emirates Team New Zealand takes on Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team.
The open-air ETNZ Fan Zone is located in Bayfair Shopping Centre’s ‘Dine’ area.
The action will be broadcast on big screens, with food and drink specials, hundreds of official merchandise giveaways, live music, face painting, free ice cream treats and a chance for families to win sailing trips all on offer.
On Saturday, March 13, those at the ETNZ Fan Zone can join the celebratory global singalong of 'We Are Sailing' led by Sir Rod Stewart and a mass choir from Auckland's America's Cup Village.
“Hosting the ETNZ Fan Zone has given us a wonderful chance to collectively support our Emirates Team New Zealand,” says Bayfair Shopping Centre Manager Steve Ellingford.
“The Bay Of Plenty community has always worked together in times of need and in times of celebration. We are hoping this ETNZ Fan Zone will continue to strengthen this bond and show our support for Emirates Team New Zealand.”
The ETNZ Fan Zone at Bayfair will be open for all races from Wednesday, March 10, until the conclusion of the 36th America's Cup.
Activations at the centre will run on weekend days from 3pm to 6pm.
Team New Zealand skipper Peter Burling is expecting a close affair in this year’s event.
"We're preparing for a tight yacht race," says the Tauranga born Olympic gold medalist to the gathered press at Auckland Viaduct.
Burling was asked what was the key factor in the Cup, boat speed or handling in the AC75s, which "fly" out of the water on hydrofoils and can reach speeds of around 50 knots.
"I think it'll be a bit of a combination of all of the above. It's a really cool thing about the class of boat that both ourselves and Luna Rossa have come up with," he says.
"They're very dynamic and fast in a straight line, give you the ability to do a lot of manoeuvres at low cost. We're looking forward to a really tight race."
On the subject of pre-starts, Burling was far more guarded; "You'll have to wait and see... Don't want to give many tricks away."
The 36th America's Cup gets underway Wednesday with Race 1 expected to start at about 4.15pm, dependent on weather conditions.
-Additional reporting by RNZ
Source: SunLive
