The Ocean Race - will return to Auckland in 2027

New Zealand will host the Southern Ocean stopover for the 12th time, with a 50-year anniversary on the horizon

The Ocean Race, the world’s toughest test of a team in sport, will return to Auckland, New Zealand in the 2027 edition of the iconic around the world offshore race. 

Known internationally as the “City of Sails” Auckland will welcome the race back to its shores in March 2027, marking a celebrated homecoming for an event deeply embedded in the city’s maritime heritage.

Auckland’s connection to The Ocean Race stretches back five decades, with the city first playing host to the 1977-78 edition of the Whitbread Round the World Race, the precursor to The Ocean Race. Since then, Auckland has welcomed the best offshore sailors in the world to its shores 10 times (there was a New Zealand stopover in Wellington in 2006) and the 2027 stopover will be just one year shy of a 50-year golden jubilee anniversary.

2018 Leg Start in Auckland. © Ainhoa Sanchez

Over the decades, Auckland has become synonymous with offshore sailing excellence, with Kiwi legends like Sir Peter Blake and Grant Dalton writing their names into the event’s record book over the past decades. Younger New Zealand sailing icons like Peter Burling and Blair Tuke were the local heroes in the race the last time it stopped in New Zealand in 2018, while Daryl Wislang is a two-time race winner who also won The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint in 2023.

The return of The Ocean Race is a reflection of its enduring legacy and a celebration of New Zealand’s passion for the ocean.

“We’re excited to be bringing The Ocean Race back to its spiritual home in Auckland, a city that embodies the spirit of human endeavour and resilience that defines this competition,” said Richard Brisius, Race Chairman of The Ocean Race. “While we celebrate the many Kiwi sailors who are legends of the race, we are also looking ahead and inviting a new generation of New Zealand sailors to take up the challenge of The Ocean Race.”

The 2027 stopover in Auckland is an opportunity to amplify and share solutions to protect and restore ocean health, building on New Zealand’s deep-rooted commitment to the environment. The Ocean Race Learning Programme will team up with New Zealand schools to increase ocean literacy and a love of the sea as together we support the United Nations Ocean Decade Challenge 10 to help restore society’s relationship with the ocean.

Auckland’s vibrant waterfront precinct will be home to the race village – Ocean Live Park – offering race fans an exciting two-week festival celebrating sailing and sailors, technical innovation, and sustainability, and further enhancing Auckland’s status as the City of Sails and as a world-class destination. Events and activations in the free to enter Ocean Live Park will engage the community, inspire action, and demonstrate the vital role the ocean plays in the global climate.  

“New Zealand is a proud sailing nation, and Auckland is well-known internationally as the ‘City of Sails’. The Government is investing up to $4 million to help The Ocean Race return to Auckland in 2027. This will be a boost for the local economy, and I’m sure Kiwis across the country will take a keen interest in this important international event,” says Hon Simeon Brown, Minister for Auckland. “New Zealand has hosted stopovers in all but three of the races over the past 50 years. It is great to have this international event return, that will help showcase Auckland and New Zealand to the world.”

“The Ocean Race is the ultimate test of endurance for some of the world’s finest sailors and having it return to Auckland is fantastic news,” says Mayor of Auckland, Wayne Brown. “New Zealand has a special history with this great race. New Zealand legend, the late Sir Peter Blake, was the only person to compete in the first five editions of the then Whitbread Round the World Race, winning every one of the six legs in the 1989-1990 series.

“The City of Sails is in for a treat, with spectators getting a rare close look at these fantastic boats on our shores, not to mention the boost it will provide for the local economy.  It’s a win/win.’

“Securing the exclusive Southern Ocean stopover for Auckland is a significant opportunity, as it serves as a key milestone in The Ocean Race. We’re focused on delivering a free and inclusive festival where the public can get up close to the high-performance foiling yachts and crews, while enjoying a variety of activities and entertainment over two weeks in the Viaduct Harbour in March 2027,” says William Thomas, Managing Director of 18K Sports, the delivery partner for The Ocean Race Auckland Stopover.

Auckland is the third host city to be announced for the 2027 edition of The Ocean Race which will start from its home port of Alicante, Spain in January and finish on the Red Sea in Amaala early in the summer of 2027. Additional stopover cities will be announced in due course.