Fans still basking in Cup win

By SIMON HENDERY

Just over a week after the America's Cup ticker-tape was swept away, Auckland's waterfront is a quieter place, but is still a magnet for yachting fans.

The euphoria of Team New Zealand's cup victory may have faded, but the revamped Viaduct Harbour, with its flotilla of superyachts, continues to lure thousands of visitors a day.

A spokeswoman for the American Express NZ Cup Village, Sue Foley, said the village attracted 20,000 visitors a day last week, down from a peak of 45,000 during the racing.

"A lot of people still seem to be coming up to Auckland to see where it all took place. It is becoming an attraction in its own right."

There were few empty seats on the Viaduct's yellow water taxis yesterday, with visitors still willing to pay $10 for a 20-minute tour.

Water Taxis general manager Elizabeth Collins said numbers had dropped slightly but there were still a plenty of international tourists keen to use the water service.

"We seem to have more Central European and North American tourists whereas the dominant visitors previously were New Zealanders."

She expected numbers to drop further when daylight saving and the fine weather ended.

"We are here for the long term but our visible presence during winter months is yet to be decided."

The manager of Big Boat Cafe and Bar, David McCabe, said turnover had dropped 50 per cent in the week since America's Cup racing ended, but he was not concerned.

"It was like we were on a horse which was going flat out; now it's just an easy gallop. I'm not complaining."

Viaduct Central's beverage manager, Harvey Wilton, said patronage at the restaurant fell last week but was still above what it had been before Cup racing began.

"We've budgeted for it, we expected it, and we will just ride it out until it starts again."

Aucklander Janet Fadida, who took her children to the village yesterday, said that without the crowds the trip was much more relaxed than her last visit a month ago.

Sue Foley said Viaduct events, including next weekend's national dragon-boat festival, would help "to keep that whole buzz going until at least after Easter."

Many superyachts would remain until late April, with others leaving in June for the Sydney Olympics.

Some international syndicates challenging for the 2003 America's Cup are expected to set up base at the Viaduct by the end of this year.