America's Cup: Team New Zealand take new boat Te Aihe on Waitemata Harbour

Photo / ETNZ

All looks good on the Waitemata Harbour for Emirates Team New Zealand despite a rocky few days off the water for the America's Cup holders.

Team New Zealand have put new boat Te Aihe to the test as preparations ramp up for next year's America's Cup.

The latest testing is some good news for Team New Zealand after a multinational police investigation was launched into how a hacker posing as a European TV contractor convinced TNZ to send a large financial payment to a Hungarian bank account.

New Zealand Police confirmed yesterday that the Auckland City Financial Crime Unit was investigating the scam with the help of officers based in Europe and Hungarian authorities, after receiving a report in December.

Team NZ admits it was swindled out of a large figure but has hit back at concerns over its handling of public money.

Meanwhile on the water, the team released footage on their team website of the AC75 going through its paces in the new boat.

"It's been about six months since we finished sailing the last block. It's pretty awesome to be out here now," Team New Zealand's Simon van Velthooven said. "To put all our hard training to work now is a massive bonus. We just want to go fast," van Velthooven added.

The AC75 has a crew of 11 sailors and helmsman Glenn Ashby said it's a step up from the 12-metre Te Kahu.

"It's really really nice to get back out on the big boat again. Fully crewed – very different to sailing just with the four of us on the small boat. A fantastic day," the 2017 America's Cup winner said.

"Plenty of learnings. We've obviously got heaps and heaps to keep working through over the next few months. But a lot of great sailing today. Certainly looking forward to the next couple of weeks of great testing," he said.

The first challenger, American Magic's AC75 Defiant, arrived at their base earlier this week.

The other two Challengers, INEOS Team UK and Luna Rossa are expected to be sailing in Auckland in early September and the third week in October respectively.