"We Heart Emirates Team New Zealand - Congratulations Boys!"

These are some of the photos I took of Team New Zealand after they won the Americas Cup in Bermuda recently.  These photos are taken at their home coming parade which was held in Auckland city and then on the water around the Viaduct.  There was around 100,000 people there to welcome our boys home with the cup.  I would get lost in that crowd, so I have a "secret" spot I head to where I have THE perfect, closeup view of whats happening on the water!  It's a spot I discovered some time ago, and I have always gone here to photograph any marine events because I know it will not be crowded and I will get great photos.  I was not let down this time either!

This is a shot of the ominous looking clouds that were heading my way!  Not what I wanted to see!  

The day started out fine and sunny...if only it had stayed that way!   I loved these little boats they were so colourful!

These photos were all taken about three hours before the parade started.  The harbour was so calm and flat and peaceful. 

Mr. Seagull posed for me, until he realised I had no food for him, then he was gone!

Here is one of the tug boats spraying water to keep the ever increasing crowds  entertained! 

By now the sky was turning from blue to grey to thunderous black and the rain was coming! 

You can see how dark the sky was in the background of the photo above - a warning of what was to come! 

 I was glad to see this little dog (above) had a life jacket on!

There were hundreds of these awesome New Zealand flags flying, it seemed like everyone had one!

 Above is the late Sir Peter Blakes' boat, now called The Tara.  Sadly Sir Peter Blake was shot and killed by pirates 16 years ago while filming a documentary while he was on board this boat.  This was the first time his boat had been back in Auckland since the tragedy. You can see how heavy the rain was, I had no idea of how clear my photos would be until I came home and edited them.

And here (above, on the yellow boat) is the first glimpse we got of the boys with the Americas Cup!  

And here they are in the pouring rain holding up the Americas Cup!  The rain was so heavy at times, it was really hard to even see the boys.

Another couple of photos of the cup and some of the boys from Emirates Team New Zealand. 

The boys looked happy in spite of the heavy rain, hail and thunder we had!  

That huge cup is heavy, and they had been carrying it for at least three hours by the time I took these photos. 

Oh to have that cup sitting on my dinning room table!  And to drink champagne from it!

This sign says it all:-)  Yeah, Kiwis CAN fly!! This little boat was one of 100's out on the water to greet the boys and get a glimpse of the cup.

Here's my last shot I took of Emirates Team New Zealand.   This was at the end of the parade.  You can see how misty the sky is behind the crowd.  Normally you can see the wharf behind and other boats and way out into the ocean.  The weather was sunny when I first arrived at 10 am.  By 2 pm I had been rained on many times with several really heavy downpours, hailed on for a good ten minutes, and finally the heavens opened and BOOM! a fifteen minute thunder/lightening storm...and then it was sunny again!  I came home absolutely drenched in spite of having several winter layers on, a woolly hat AND a raincoat!!  I have never been so drenched in all my life!  By the time I got home at 5 pm my clothes were just one big  soggy lump!

And here I am, waiting for the boys, at my "secret" spot - can you see the crowds??!! This was taken by "Ocean Photography" who do all the marine event photography. (I am now on their gallery!) My sign says, "We Heart Emirates Team New Zealand."  I still have the sign, event though it got soaking wet and ripped in half!  I have since dried it out and mended it and have kept it as a souvenir.
I was SO SO proud to be a Kiwi that day, and SO SO proud of ETNZ for bringing home the Americas Cup..again!  Thank you ETNZ, we {heart} you!!
Thanks for dropping in, no cards to post today!  {HUGS} from me to YOU:-)