‘Carnival atmosphere’: High praise for Napier’s Hurricanes, World Tri Cup bumper crowds

Napier hosted a World Triathlon Cup event and a Super Rugby match over the weekend. Photo / @worldtriathlon @cammackenziephotos and Paul Taylor Action Press

Crowd figures smashed expectations during the two big sporting events held in Napier over the weekend, providing a “carnival atmosphere” and a welcome boost to the city.

The Hurricanes defeated Fijian Drua 38-34 at McLean Park in front of 11,381 vocal fans on Saturday, followed by thousands of spectators filling the streets of Ahuriri on Sunday to watch the World Triathlon Cup Napier.

It was the biggest Super Rugby crowd in Napier since 2018 and easily surpassed attendance numbers for the last Super Rugby game held at the venue in 2021 (which attracted about 9200 fans).

Napier City Council event manager Kevin Murphy said there was high demand for tickets in the week before the match.

“The ticket sales were so strong in that last week, they were flying out the door.

“We all initially had a target of about 8000, and as we got closer to the game, we well and truly went past that – so it was a fantastic crowd.”

He said there was a “carnival atmosphere during the whole game”, helped by the close score line, vocal supporters and brilliant weather.

He said it was great to see so many Fijian Drua fans, which added to the atmosphere.

Fans inside McLean Park during the match. Photo / Paul Taylor – Action Press

Murphy said another Hurricanes match would certainly return to McLean Park, although it was not clear when that would be as Napier shares games with Palmerston North.

Murphy was also rapt with the turnout for the World Triathlon Cup Napier event, which returned for its second year on Sunday.

Tri NZ chief executive Pete de Wet said it’d had “massive success” bringing the World Cup event to Napier during 2024 and 2025, which is part of an international triathlon circuit.

The event was previously held in New Plymouth for more than a decade.

Fijian Drua fans cheering on their team. Photo / Doug Laing

Thousands of people lined the streets of Ahuriri to watch the world-class field on Sunday, and the event’s attendance level appeared to be similar to if not slightly up on the 2024 crowd numbers.

That was despite Olympic silver medallist Hayden Wilde not returning for the event this year.

“From a Tri NZ perspective, I’m really happy with the event, I think we saw it step up again in year two,” de Wet said.

“It’s always amazing to see everyone lining the streets, and just the spirit of everyone and the way they were cheering the athletes ... I think people really enjoyed the day out.”

At this stage, he could not say if it would return to Napier next year, as that would not be confirmed until later in the year (around September) and necessitated discussions with World Triathlon around scheduling.

“[But] certainly it is a tried and tested venue now and has delivered for us two years in a row.”

Fijian Drua praised the support they received at McLean Park on Saturday, after falling just short of a famous victory.

“Felt like home in the Bay,” the team shared on Facebook.

“Vinaka to the fans who travelled far and wide to support your Drua – from Wellington, Hamilton, Auckland, Fiji and even Seattle.”

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.