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Full America's Cup coverageKEY POINTS:
It's a very Kiwi thing to do. You roll up at the Port America's Cup in your people mover, wind down the window and say to the puzzled Spanish security guard, "I am a beautiful New Zealand lady".
In fact, Dave Melville is not beautiful or even a woman but is a little challenged by the Spanish language. However, the guard ushered the Melville family and friends into a free car park almost opposite the Team New Zealand base.
And there they have parked every day. Mr Melville, wife Patricia and friend Vivienne Robinson, from St Heliers and Pakuranga, plus about seven others.
Using good old Kiwi ingenuity, they have somehow beaten Valencia's "ring of steel" security with their VIP car park in the heart of the port.
They drive 50km from Xativa, a small village where they have rented a villa, to cheer Emirates Team New Zealand out, watch the race on a big screen and then go out to cheer them in.
Every New Zealand competition day of the Louis Vuitton they did this and now every day of the cup racing.
The friends are a fine example of the Kiwi support that is thronging the port and cheering on the team and they were supremely happy with the comeback win yesterday.
However, they are also a little different as they chose to stay outside Valencia in a village where there is no English spoken to test themselves in a foreign environment.
They had Spanish lessons for some weeks before leaving but, as the old saying goes, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
"Can you trim my beard?" Vivienne inquired of a shocked hair stylist. Dave confused a restaurant owner by asking if he served beach in his restaurant (he meant to say paella but it came out as playa, or beach). And no one is quite sure what the nice Spanish man thought the question was when he responded to the group, "My dog has no tail".
You can see the effect support like this is having on Team New Zealand. Sometimes a little undemonstrative on the way out to the course, the team have been seen waving and acknowledging the considerable crowd support in the final.
Skipper Dean Barker referred to it after the loss to Alinghi in race one: "We are very much in awe of the support we are receiving here in Spain. New Zealanders from all round the world are here and they are really cheering for us. It is something we are very, very proud of and it gives us a great lift."
Mr Melville, a company director, said he was peeved when he heard during the three weeks they have been here that Alinghi chief Ernesto Bertarelli had voiced displeasure with New Zealanders who had flung taunts at the Kiwis on his boat.
"We don't do that and every time I have been here, I haven't heard anyone else do it either," he said.
