The trophy strapped into two seats. Photo / Facebook
No expense has been spared to get the America's Cup trophy home.
The Auld Mug was strapped into two seats, safely ensconced in its Louis Vuitton suitcase.
The cup is travelling from Bermuda to New York, then on to Dubai, home of main sponsor Emirates, before arriving in New Zealand on Wednesday.
The silverware, that stands 1.1m tall and weighs more than 14kg, travels in a purpose-built Louis Vuitton trunk, in business or first class flanked by two security guards according to Yachting World.
The cup will be greeted by tens of thousands of proud Kiwis lining Auckland's Viaduct Harbour on Thursday to welcome our America's Cup heroes home - with the winning crew set to join their adoring supporters to celebrate long into the night.
Ticker tape, banners, plenty of Team New Zealand flags and patriotic cheering will welcome Peter Burling and his men home for the parade.
The parade will start at 12.30pm on the corner of Wakefield St and Queen St and run down to Princes Wharf. The team will then do a sail past ending at the Queens Wharf.
Yachting World said security personnel have travelled with the Cup ever since 1997, when Maori activist Benjamin Nathan walked into the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and took to the sailing trophy with a sledgehammer.
Hayden Porter, general manager of Auckland's Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, where the Cup will be displayed, said the cup goes into a specially built trophy cabinet with an alarm
He said the extreme security measures were to avoid any issues or damage such as that sustained by the Cup in 1997.
"It's an amazing privilege. You've got the oldest sporting trophy in the world, in New Zealand and in our cabinet. It's the Everest of sailing," said Porter.
The 70cm high, 10kg sterling silver trophy depicts a clash of passing sails. It also echoes Louis Vuitton's famous "V" mark, drafted in the 1930s to encapsulate the brand's values of Volez, Voguez, Voyagez - fly, sail, travel.
Discussions are currently underway to arrange public viewings of the trophies, after Thursday's parade in Auckland.
Meanwhile, a cheeky Kiwi is auctioning off a TEAMNZ number plate on Trade Me - with a starting bid of $20,000.
The user, floppy9, listed the plate from Taranaki. It urged buyers to "be the first to show them off around the streets of New Zealand".
By 3.30pm today, three bids had already been placed at the time of writing, bringing the total up to $20,100. IOt closed at 8pm on Thursday.
One buyer suggested a trade with their "ORACLE" plate that they wanted to get rid of.
Floppy9 advised to hold on to it until the next America's Cup as a good investment.
The seller divulged in the Questions and Answers section that they had bought the plates a very long time ago. They said the successful bidder would receive brand new plates instead of the ones pictured.
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