Kevin Hall - Team New Zealand Navigator
The life of a sailor is a transient one, but American yachtie Kevin Hall finally has a somewhere he can call home - on New Zealand soil. Hall and his wife, Amanda, have bought a piece of real estate by the sea on Auckland’s west coast after falling in love with the landscape of black sand and wild sea.
It’s a long way from Los Angeles where Hall grew up, but New Zealand is a place he could see himself raising his two sons. Hall, an Olympian from the Athens games, is an integral member of the Emirates Team New Zealand afterguard. This will be his third America’s Cup campaign, and his first with a New Zealand syndicate - and it may not be his last.
What have you enjoyed most about being in Emirates Team New Zealand?
I like the no-nonsense approach, the efficiency and the determination. The results (from the Acts in 2006) have been enjoyable as well. But we still have some way to go for what we are trying to achieve. It’s encouraging to know we are players, and we keep pushing hard. I also love New Zealand, and so does my wife. It’s pretty much been home for us since before we got married in 2001.
What is your favourite memory of sailing in New Zealand?
I love kiteboarding at Meola Reef (on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour) in a three-quarter tide and a 30 knot westerly. That’s pretty special.
How do you spend your time off in New Zealand?
We bought a really run-down bach [a New Zealand beach house] at Piha on the west coast of Auckland. The first time we drove to Piha, we came over the hill just as the sun was setting on the water and we were like ‘whoa!’ We used our extra spending money to buy a piece of Piha.
We like to do a bit of walking through the bush in the Waitakere Ranges, and we spent a magic holiday at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach at the top of the North Island.
In our former life - before our two sons were born - we had a great trip to Wanaka in the South Island one winter. We spent a couple of days skiing Treble Cone, then we had nearly a week going between skifields by helicopter - I snowboard, my wife skis. It was unbelievable - what we did there we couldn’t afford to do in the States. The days were magic. Now, we sit at home with the kids and talk about it…
Where would you take visiting friends and family in New Zealand?
Piha is so dramatic, so that would be our first stop, but Auckland proper is such a neat city. The restaurants are great, and there’s a great vibe in Parnell (near the central city) on a Friday night - it reminds me of Toronto.
What do you miss most about New Zealand when you're not there?
The green-lipped mussels. You pay $9 a piece in New York, but in New Zealand they’re about $5 a kilo. We cook them in a little garlic and wine. Beautiful.
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