KEY POINTS:
New Zealanders have arrived in droves at the America's Cup venue some have nicknamed ValeNZia.
Support for Emirates Team NZ in Valencia is growing as Kiwis arrive in anticipation of their team winning the Louis Vuitton Cup final.
Team NZ are leading Luna Rossa 3-0 in the best-of-nine challenger series, which will give the winner the right to race Swiss syndicate Alinghi for the America's Cup.
Yachting commentator and Herald columnist Peter Lester said last night from the Spanish city that Kiwis "are coming out of the woodwork".
"They certainly stand out. Anything from Kiwi flags to Kiwi clothing to the beige cricket tops."
New Zealanders had also adopted bars in the city.
"I just hope they are well behaved and don't over-celebrate. But I don't think there will be anything like that. I have not heard anything like that."
Lester said the locals had been "really surprised" by how much support there was for Team NZ already.
It was a morale booster for the team, who were "mindful of ... the reaction at home".
"[Team chief Grant] Dalton has gone out of his way to play down too much hype."
For some fans, this is the trip of a lifetime. There is the group of 12 from Auckland who spent 18 months planning the trip.
Another 18 expats, living in Denmark and calling themselves the NZ Vikings, will arrive in Valencia today.
Brendan Reed, 37, who is leading the group, said: "The sentiment amongst us Kiwis is that it will be 5-0. Regardless of the result we will be there all guns blazing."
For the fans already in Valencia, the aim is simple - to give Team NZ as much support as possible. As NZL92 heads out, supporters congregate at one point on the canal from the cup base out to the race course.
Wellwishers call out "Go Deano [Dean Barker, the skipper], give it heaps".
From there the supporters move on to watch the racing in an area now referred to as The Woolshed. The big open shed, which has a giant screen, has become a hangout for Team NZ fans. One of them has thoughtfully provided directions in the form of a road sign illustrated with a kiwi, which he puts up each day.
The atmosphere at The Woolshed is like Eden Park for a test match.
There is a healthy dose of black and there's no mistaking the crowd's favourite.
From The Woolshed, it is back to the canal to watch the boats come in. For the past three days the Team New Zealand sailors have stood proudly on the boat, having beaten Luna Rossa three times. They are now just two wins away from challenging Alinghi.
The Italian team have been in a tight spot before. In 2000, as Prada, they went from 3-1 up to 3-4 in the Louis Vuitton Cup final against Paul Cayard's AmericaOne, but won the last two to go through.
Luna Rossa started the first-to-five-wins series with huge confidence.
But at the end of race three, the crew's body language was clear for all to see. It was grim.
additional reporting: James Ihaka
