From Wednesday onwards, with the start of the 36th America's Cup match against Luna Rossa, Burling will have
the focus of the nation on his shoulders.
It might be a team sport, with 11 men sailing Te Rehutai and a whole legion responsible for its performance, but Burling is at the apex.
As helmsman his every move will be scrutinised, every decision debated. Even his media comments will be analysed intensely.
In terms of national focus, it's arguably the biggest home sporting spectacle since either the 2015 Cricket World Cup or the Rugby World Cup (2011).
But the 30-year-old rarely seems flustered – on or off the water – and has the happy knack of improving when the heat is on.
But while he's off the water...
Burling and Team New Zealand and Olympic partner Blair Tuke have produced a new multimedia series about the alarming ecological desolation of the Hauraki Gulf.
The pair started the marine charity Live Ocean in 2019 after witnessing the diminishing marine life on the Hauraki Gulf upon which they will be defending the America's Cup come March 6.
"We've lost so much in 50 or 60 years but for the younger generation, we tend to think what we're seeing today is 'normal'. It's not," Burling says.
"We've talked to lots of people who remember the boil-ups that used to be common in the Gulf — schools of trevally as far as the eye can see, hapukū close to shore and seabirds in their thousands."
Cup exemptions
A meteorologist, nutritionist, diver, drone pilot and chef are among a plethora of different workers the visiting America's Cup syndicates have been 98 per cent successful in getting border exemptions for.
With 422 successful requests for getting "critical workers" into New Zealand, and only 10 declined, the strike rate for the yacht teams owned by some of the US and Europe's richest people has been high.
Coming tomorrow
Ever wondered what it is like aboard one of the lightning-fast AC75s being used in the America's Cup?
Think you would be able to make split-second decisions under pressure like helmsman Peter Burling or maybe you're more suited to the physical toil of a grinder in Team New Zealand's "engine room"?
Keep an eye out tomorrow for the Herald's fun interactive quiz to find out which role you are most likely to have aboard Te Rehutai - as Team New Zealand put the finishing touches to their preparation for the battle for the Auld Mug against Luna Rossa.
Beyond The Cup
American Magic helmsman Dean Barker and AUT Sailing Professor Mark Orams join NZME reporter Matt Brown to preview the America's Cup showdown between Team NZ and Luna Rossa. Watch the video in your player above.
