KZ1 is permanently on display outside the maritime museum in Auckland. I was there recently on the photowalk that Trey held around the viaduct basin in Auckland.

KZ1 - Americas Cup Yacht ( click for full size )

This boat took part in the strange Americas Cup challenge in 1988. New Zealand challenged the USA and built this boat according to the “deed of gift” that governs the cup. USA, defending the Cup again after winning it back from the Australians in 1987, were forced by the Courts to respond to a ‘rogue’ New Zealand challenge.

The challenge came about through Michael Fay, a merchant banker, who saw an opportunity in the Deed of Gift to initiate a direct challenge that would exclude other teams, and avoid the need for a challenger selection series. He built KZ-1 to take part in the challenge. It has the regulation 90ft waterline, but with bowsprit it runs to 130ft in length.

The Americans, lead by Dennis Connor built a catamaran, Stars and Stripes, which would all but guarantee their success (as it was much faster). The kiwis did not expect this.

The match turned out to be a very one-sided affair, with Stars and Stripes winning easily.

The launch ceremony for KZ-1 took place in Auckland in front of a crowd of more than 100,000. When you consider that Auckland has a population of around 1 million (and New Zealand at the time, 3.5 million) you can see that’s quite a crowd.

Shipped back to New Zealand after the America’s Cup, Sir Michael Fay offered the ‘Big Boat’ to the New Zealand National Maritime Museum in 1990. KZ-1 was placed on the quay and now dominates the Viaduct Basin, at the foot of downtown Auckland.

The picture was taken using an EF-S 10-22mm, set at 10mm.