Jubilation at Tuke's sailing club in Kerikeri

Kerikeri Cruising Club members celebrate, with up-and-coming sailor Ryan McCready, 10, at front, as Team NZ crosses the finish line. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF

Cheers rang out and corks popped at Blair Tuke's sailing club in Kerikeri as Team New Zealand crossed the finish line in Bermuda this morning to take out the world's top yachting trophy.

Nerves took their toll on cruising club members who didn't yet know the outcome. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF

About 35 people gathered at Kerikeri Cruising Club, where Team NZ sailors Blair Tuke and Andy Maloney first learnt to sail, to watch the final race of the America's Cup unfold.

Because the club doesn't have Sky they had to watch the delayed broadcast on Prime about 6.30am. Most tried to keep the outcome a surprise, but the fireworks and car horns that sounded across Kerikeri Inlet about an hour earlier were a strong hint the race had gone the Kiwis' way.

Peter Wilson pours the bubbles as club members celebrate Team NZ's win. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF America's Cup final race, Team NZ v Oracle, Kerikeri Cruising Club, 27 June 2017 Status: Available

Among those watching the win were Derry Godbert, the legendary coach who gave both Tuke and Maloney their start in sailing.

A proud Godbert recalled Tuke's start in sailing as a boy of nine or ten on nearby Lake Manuwai.

He said he was impressed not just by the sailor' skill and composure on the water, but also their excellent team spirit on land.

Tuke is a life member of Kerikeri Cruising Club, the youngest sailor to receive that honour. His mother, Karin Tuke, lives in the next bay.