Beautiful scenery is liken to wonderful wine, with the same intoxication, culture, weather and even age. To describe the beautiful scenes is like describing beautiful wine, and the writer knows the details, but the readers may not fully understand. The only difference is that you can sample the same wine as the wine critic, but it is impossible for you to see the magnificent scenery as the author who writes about it. If you see the photos of the beautiful scenery this year in a magazine, that means you will not be able to catch the same breathtaking scenery at the same place in the same year. Words will not be able to replace wine, nor know how to change its colour.

Rush into a forest of sail boats --- Auckland
Auckland is reputed as “Capital of sail boats” in the world, where is the best place for the sailing in the world. A lot of people own sail boats or yachts, and I once found a big farm  in the  mountainous areas of South Island where sail boats were towed by trailers, thus showing New Zealander’s passion for sailing. In the past few years, due to Team New Zealand victory in the America’s Cup the competition has seen been moved to Auckland, New. Whichever country that wins the championship will be authorized to host the next competition and America’s Cup will be also be renamed to the name of this country. The participating teams usually need to raise USD 30 to 100 million in order to be part of the competition, the America’s Cup is the most luxurious sport and is an event that makes the hosting country proud.

After finally getting out of the airport, I rushed impatiently to the America’s Cup arena at a bay near the city (Downtown Auckland). I was not used to the right-hand drive car that I have just collected, but since I have to rush downtown, I had to watch out for pedestrians appearing from around the street corners. I circled the downtown area for long time for a parking lot, and it is always a big problem in this city. If one is not using a parking meter that handles coins, then the speed of the tow truck will be as fast as your parking.

My car turned a corner; I could see the white ocean and the high masts of the sail boats are like a forest. It was in the evening, and it was just after a new round of the competition and the sail boats were returning to the harbour and people were crowded on the banks. For 151 years, America’s Cup, the most expensive sport in the world, has always had a famous saying: There is no silver medallist, only champion and losers.

In one and a half centuries, there has only been three countries - USA, Australia and New Zealand that have won the championship. Australia II defeated New York Yacht Club in 1983, USA kept its victorious record for 132 consecutive years. New Zealand made a revenue of USD 600 million from the America’s Cup, which almost increased the national income by 1%. You can see the best sail-boats and the best navigation technology engineers, and you will also experience the terrifying waves when driving at the Hauraki Habour in Auckland, as well as the numerous excitement this event brings you with her 151 years of history.

I stepped onto a dock in Hauraki Habour in Auckland, and today, I followed the “Star Stripes” boat from Team Nautica for the set-off. Before setting out each time, 16 sailors and tens of shipmen would prepare in double time, cleaning the boat, raising the sail, and making sure everything is in order. A group of people behind me surrounded a man like bees to honey. The man was almost 7 feet tall and he is a legend in America’s Cup. He is the world sail-boat legend, Mr. Dennis Conner, Michael Jordan of the sea. He was also the Chief Planner of “Star Stripes” that was participating in America’s Cup this season. Coincidentally, I knew Kevin – Mr. Dennis Conner’s Publicist, an old man with grey hair and beard. It was through him that I got the opportunity to meet the giant of the sea, and even though he no longer sails, his unrivalled status in the sailing history has allowed him to establish his own team so that he can participate in this competition worth millions of dollars. Some teams with the sufficient budget would spend USD 200 million to prepare for the event, with the cost mainly in the sailors and staff, and usually the salary for each sailor is USD 10,000/month, and the size of each team is about 80 people. Although he has withdrawn from the competition, Mr. Dennis Conner still required his team to keep up with advanced technologies, for example, they worked with Nautica on their navigation, enabling the sailors to maximise their comfort, so that they can focus on the competition.

As history goes, there is no silver medallist in America’s Cup, and in this case, there is only Champion, the real Champion.

Information Chapter
Extreme experiences

1. Auckland Bridge Climb

After climbing for 2.5 hours, you can directly climb onto the highest point on the bridge and overlook the whole bay. People over 7 years’ old can ascend, and it is open 7 days a week.
Reservation telephone No.: (0064-9) 3024561
Internet reservation: www.aucklandbridgeclimb.co.nz
Email:reservation@aucklandbridgeclimb.co.nz

2. Sky Jump on Sky Tower

From the 328m tall Sky Tower, you can jump out of the Buffet Restaurant at 192m, which is the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere, and float above Auckland.
Address: At the corner of Victoria Street and Federal Street in Auckland
Opening hours: Start from 8:30AM, and open 365 days a year
Reservation website: www.skycity.com, and there is the Chinese guideline service in the grand lobby on 1/F.

Recommended hotel:

1. Sheraton Auckland
Tel: (0064-9) 3795132
Email:mary.shirkey@Sheraton.com

2. Copthorne Hotel Auckland
A hotel affiliated to Millennium Hotel Management Group
Tel: (0064-9) 3770349
Email: copthorne.harbourcity@cdlhms.co.nz