A queue of people was waiting outside GWD Toyota Queenstown before 7am, waiting to see the oldest sporting trophy in the world, the America’s Cup.
The cup is on a 19-day, New Zealand Tour with over 40 stops, organised by Emirates New Zealand, Team New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
The latter’s chairman of the house, Hamish Williams, said along with people getting a rare up-close look at the piece of silverware, they could also sign a "sail of support", which would be delivered to the team in Barcelona.
The could also post letters to them using a mailbox constructed from the top of an AC40 mast.
Mr Williams said tour organisers had been sharing videos with the team, which had also been seeing every social media post they had been tagged in, something he descried as "better than caffeine for them".
Mr Williams said despite the America’s Cup being held on the other side of the world, every New Zealander should be "super proud" of what this country had already achieved.
"As the holders of the America’s Cup, it’s actually our event, so we’ve managed to go up to one of the biggest cities in Europe and, essentially, dictate terms, which is just incredible.
"All of the other countries that are racing for this are trillion-dollar economies.
"Yet New Zealand, down here, in the South Pacific, has managed to walk in there, and we’re setting the tone for the party, and it’s going to be a big one."
After its visit to Queenstown, the cup was taken to Wānaka, where students at Mount Aspiring College got to see it, and then on to the Wānaka Yacht Club last night.
Today, the America’s Cup stops at GWD Toyota Invercargill from 8am until 9am, Cooke Howlison Toyota Balclutha from 1.30pm until 2.30pm, and then at Cooke Howlison Toyota Dunedin from 4.30pm until 5.30pm.
