A flock of sheep with your morning paper, sir?

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Shopping will never be the same after the superyachts go home, as MAGGIE BLAKE discovers.

Those mammoth superyachts parked at the Viaduct Basin have perfected an overall air of unruffled calm. But on shore, there are Aucklanders working frantically hard to ensure that all stays serene on board. With 58 or so big boats waiting for the America's Cup finals to begin, there is a lot of work to do just provisioning the monsters.

It certainly entails more than plonking a couple of milk cartons and a daily newspaper on the stern every morning. The occupants of these boats want everything from helicopter rides, to bottles of 80-year-old balsamic vinegar.

The General Store at 37 South was established 18 months ago with superyacht provisioning in mind. It offers clients everything, including leased cars, mobile phones, computer tutors, mobile hairdressers and carpet cleaners. To show how willing they are to cater to every whim, the store sends each new arrival a complimentary gift basket. And the requests soon come rolling in.

Caviar is one food greatly in demand, according to General Store director Carol Fleet. And we are not talking about caviar by the teaspoonful. Fleet is amazed at the superyacht enthusiasm for what looks like fish eggs rolled in Marmite. "It's just a fishy taste to me," she says.

The General Store was also asked to provide live sheep to amuse one superyacht owner who wanted a closer look at our famous livestock. A fully grown sheep, several lambs and a baby goat were duly trucked down to the Viaduct Basin. "They took them down the ramp - but not on board," says Fleet. "And everyone was woken up by a dawn chorus of `baaah.'

"It turned out that the chap they had done it for was actually staying in a hotel. So they had to ring him up and tell him they were here. A lot of people came off in their dressing gowns to see the lambs and have morning coffee with them. "It was a real fun thing to do. It didn't cost a lot of money and they enjoyed it for a couple of hours. We never know what the day is going to bring."

Not that super-rich superyacht owners are in residence all that often. In fact, some superyacht crew do not know if the boss will actually get here at all.

Gerard Gill of McKay Yacht Services (which also offers comprehensive provisioning services) says some crews seldom see their owners.

"There is one yacht here, the guy has owned it for 18 months and been on it for nine days in all. He sent it down here and the crew is not sure that he is going to come. The crew just sit there getting bored." He describes the provisioning business as "a cross between an info centre and a supermarket."

He and his colleagues find marine electricians when needed - and even haka parties prepared to go on board and strut their stuff.

His company takes time to introduce visiting chefs and crew to local wine and produce with regular tastings.

Alex Cole of Possum Provisions concentrates on the gourmet side of things. She knows what life on superyachts is all about. She worked on board as a stewardess and cook for almost nine years. Now she is happy to live on land during the America's Cup hoopla.

"I try to access all the things that I would have liked to have made my life easier," she says.

She also puts on culinary demonstrations for superyacht chefs, introducing them to ostrich steaks, seaweed garnishes and moulds for making ice sculptures.

Meanwhile, New World Supermarket in Victoria Park, is doing very nicely thank you from visiting America's Cup sailors. Its walls are adorned with signed T-shirts from every syndicate.

Dennis Conner of Stars and Stripes has been seen wandering purposefully along the aisles. Apparently he ordered hard-to-find 11kg turkeys for Christmas which were so big they had to be cooked in the supermarket ovens. Shopping won't have quite the same dash to it when they've all gone home.