Successful America's Cup defender, Team New Zealand, has thanked Christchurch for its "tremendous" welcome last Friday.
The head of Team New Zealand, Sir Peter Blake, has written to the Mayor, Garry Moore, thanking him for
the "tremendous street parade".
"We appreciate that our philosophy of concentrating on winning the cup before talking about celebrating any win meant
that and your team had to pull together the event at very short notice," wrote Sir Peter.
"We're also aware it came at a frantically busy time for the Council's events staff on the eve of the big
concert in Hagley Park." Sir Peter wrote that the Council did Christchurch and Team New Zealand proud. "The
perfect Canterbury day was mirrored by the warmth of the welcome in the street "
The Christchurch City Council's events team manager, Michelle Beckett, said Black Magic's skipper, Russell
Coutts, told her that he had been very impressed with the turnout along the tram route and in Cathedral Square and was
pleased to have made it back from his son's school camp in time to be a part of the spirit of Christchurch.
Sir Peter told her Christchurch's parade was extremely well organised and wrote that "it was a day Team
New Zealand will never forget".
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