Lady Pippa Blake and NZL32

This is a story about one of the most magical victories in New Zealand's sporting history, and the inspiring legacy that it has left in its wake.

When Team New Zealand won the America's Cup on 13 May 1995, their 5-0 victory over the US caught the nation's attention in a way that competitive yachting had never quite done before.

It's a story that has all the necessary ingredients: a great sporting rivalry between nations, a charismatic leader overseeing a dream team, and a "rocket ship" of a boat that helped the New Zealand team sail to triumph.

Oh, and don't forget about that lucky pair of red socks.

For a country that was more used to supporting teams on the rugby field, Team New Zealand's win in San Diego against Stars and Stripes was a historic moment which inspired sailors and landlubbers alike.

"Particularly because we’re an island nation, I think it strikes a very deep, almost primal nerve in us that we can excel at sport on the water," Te Papa history curator Stephanie Gibson says.

Team New Zealand's success demonstrated to the world that New Zealand excelled in design and technology, Gibson says, and could compete with the best.

So, in this week's episode, we turn our attention to the special boat that Sir Peter Blake and his team used to sail to victory – NZL32 AKA Black Magic.

To be clear, there were actually two boats called Black Magic, NZL38 and NZL32, but it was the latter which was kept under wraps and only unveiled towards the end of the competition.

"The New Zealanders were doing very well in NZL38 and the whole world thought that was the best boat," says Gibson. "And then for the finals they swapped to NZL32 and that really freaked everyone out. It was like – 'oh no, it’s older, it can’t be as good'."

[image:141715:half] Sir Peter Blake.

By the time Team New Zealand reached the finals, skippered by Russell Coutts, they had become firm favourites.

But they were facing off against the US – headed by four-time winner Dennis Conner – an American known as Mr America’s Cup, who had already attracted a degree of notoriety in New Zealand after walking off the very first Paul Holmes show during a testy interview in 1989.

Gibson says the team didn't want Conner and the challengers to know too early that NZL32 was, in the words of then Team New Zealand sailor Joey Allan, a "rocket ship."

Sir Peter's widow, Lady Pippa Blake, says some fans were confused as to why Team New Zealand had decided to use NZL32 for the final round…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details