The Welcome

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet is in for a typically warm New Zealand welcome on arrival in Auckland.

Two sailing waka (ceremonial canoes) will be patrolling just outside the Viaduct Harbour entrance, waiting for their guests. As each yacht comes in, the waka will take up position on each side of the boat to escort it into the harbour and conches will be blown.

Then a karanga (cry of welcome) will be called from the Pohutukawa Tower at the end of the harbour.

As the yacht comes further into the harbour, its team song will be played, as it will be each time the boats leave or enter the harbour. These official songs have greeted the boats at each stop on the long ocean race. The team songs all have meaning and resonance for the yacht crews, although sometimes this is a little obscure.

For example, while CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand’s song, I See Red, is by iconic New Zealand band Split Enz, Abu Dhabie Ocean Racing’s theme tune is She Sells Sanctuary by British rock band The Cult. France’s entry Groupama chose Highway to Hell by Australian rockers AC/DC, PUMA has Praise You by Fatboy Slim, and China’s Team Sanya has Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, after their Chinese crew member “Tiger” Tendiang He. Spanish team Telefonica has, like New Zealand, gone with a countryman, Jaime Anglada, and the song Cada Noche.

When the cheering and whistles accompanying the song subside, the crew will greet their families and leave their boat to go back stage from the welcoming pontoon.

Also on the pontoon will be the Pounamu kapa haka group performing a powhiri or ritual greeting ceremony, and crew members will be invited to hongi, or press noses.

Government regulations must be observed, and the crew will then go through customs and immigration formalities behind the stage. Next on stage is the official welcome from local and Volvo Ocean Race dignitaries.

Each crew member will receive a Kiwi welcome bag which includes a DriPhone cover (a Kiwi invention that protects a phone from water, sand, dust etc) and lots of Kiwi delicacies including pineapple lumps, Marmite, Anzac biscuits, mallow puffs, L&P and much more!

Then it’s time for photos and more interviews before the crew is at last free to get together with family and friends for the first time in 20-odd days.

Hungry? Lots of choice!

Taking a walk round the Volvo Ocean Race village can work up quite an appetite. In the interests of satisfying such hunger pangs, the intrepid reporters of the Auckland Stopover media team went for a look at the food on offer.

First stop was Banger Boys gourmet sausages. Billie Neilson and her business partner Will Keely have been hawking their wares round the big sporting events for three years. They offer their own brand of lamb, beef or pork sausages (all gluten-free) in an artisan bread roll, garnished with caramelised onion, aioli and handmade sauces. A new item on the menu is the Banger Boys burger, a 160g pure Angus beef pattie with sauces, aioli and mayonnaise.

The sausages are meaty and delicious, but the standout is the beef pattie. The meat has been ground very fine, resulting in a dense and moist pattie without compromising on flavour. Recommended.

Sausage in roll - $7.50

Burger - $9.50

Next up was Piggy’s Pies. Again, this is a company that only sells its products at events such as the Rugby World Cup and the World Rowing Championships. Dave O’Hagan and his partner Dion Ashton have been in business since 2010, and buy the pies from Luvapie in Otahuhu. The most popular flavours are pepper steak, steak and cheese, vegetarian, mince and cheese, and steak. Sausage rolls are also available.

Pies - $5

Sausage rolls - $4

Last stop on the lunchtime stroll was the Fired Wood Oven Pizza Company. Rob Roughan’s mobile units have been serving pizzas for four years at corporate events and, in the summer, when there is one, at music festivals around the region.

Rob and his team sell five flavours of pizza – margherita, Italian sausage with olives, ham and mushroom, smoked salmon and crème fraiche, and smoked chicken and cranberry. They make their own dough and sauces, and when possible age the dough for a day for better flavour. Rob also imports a range of wood-fired pizza ovens from Italy for the domestic market.

The sausage and olive pizza we sampled was excellent – the base was thin and crisp, the wood-fired flavour was pronounced, and the olives were split and stoned – a nice touch.

10-inch pizza - $15-$18

After all that food, what better than a good coffee? And that’s just what Nomad Espresso provides. They have a fleet of mobile vans, supplying sporting events in Auckland. Their preferred brand of beans is Allpress.

Small coffee - $4

Large coffee - $5