Sport's biggest prize leaves players and fans in awe

All whites coach Ricki Herbert gets close to the FIFA World Cup Trophy on its one day visit to Auckland today. Photo / NZPA

From school children to seasoned internationals, there was a sense of wonder today at the chance to get up close to world sport's most coveted prize.

Soccer's World Cup arrived in New Zealand this morning for the first time in its history as part of a worldwide tour ahead of this year's tournament in South Africa.

After an Air New Zealand flight from Japan in which it had its own seat, the cup landed in Auckland about 8am for a stay scheduled to last just over 13 hours.

It was taken by helicopter from the airport to the Sky City Convention Centre in the central city where, after a powhiri, it was put on show to invited guests and 500 fans who won tickets via a promotional competition. It is due to depart for Canada tonight.

Among the fans who got the chance to get their photos taken with the 37cm-high trophy made of sold 18-carat gold was Invercargill schoolboy Stephen Jones, one of the competition winners.

It had been a convoluted trip to Auckland for the 11-year-old James Hargest College pupil and his family, their flight this morning having to be diverted from Christchurch to Wellington because of bad weather.

But coming face to face with the cup was worth the disruption and the rush.

"I thought it was going to be smaller and thinner, but it was really amazing," Stephen, a Southland soccer representative, said.

"It was a dream come true to see it."

For veteran All Whites defender Ivan Vicelich, whose own dream of attending the World Cup is about to come true in less than seven weeks when the 32-team tournament begins, viewing the trophy at such proximity for the first time brought "a little bit of awe".

"It means so much to so many people around the world," he said.

"Probably over a billion people want to hold it up and only a few get the opportunity to do it. It's great to have it here and be involved in it."

While Vicelich was able to look, he wasn't able to touch, and not just because the trophy was in a glass case. Only previous winners and heads of state get that privilege.

The tour began last September in the Swiss city of Zurich, the headquarters of soccer's world governing body, Fifa, and will go through 84 countries.

Tour organiser Coca-Cola, one of Fifa's corporate partners, changed the itinerary to include New Zealand after the All Whites qualified for South Africa and skipper Ryan Nelsen raised the issue during a meeting with Fifa president Sepp Blatter and secretary-general Jerome Valcke.

"As the conversation went on, we started talking about wine and things like that and I thought it might be a good time to bring up the World Cup trophy to see if there was a possibility to get it to New Zealand," Nelsen said in a video message.

"I was amazed in how humble and accepting Mr Blatter and Mr Valcke were when I asked them the question. They said it should be there."

Nelsen said he even offered to pay for the cost himself, and "thank goodness, they declined".

The skipper of Blackburn Rovers in the English Premier league, he was "absolutely gutted" he couldn't be in New Zealand, but said the cup's visit added the icing to the All Whites' qualification.

While the first World Cup tournament was staged in 1930, the present trophy dates back to the early 1970s.

It cannot be won outright by any nation, unlike the original Jules Rimet Cup, which was permanently presented to Brazil in 1970 when they became the first country to claim the title three times.

- NZPA