A dozen sailing ships will glide into Waitemata Harbour in Auckland on Friday to mark the beginning of the city's first ever Tall Ships festival.
Seven of the ships, crewed by hundreds of sailors, have completed the first trans-Tasman tall ships race from Sydney to Opua in the Bay of Islands.
Among the fleet are the Spirit of New Zealand and the Europa, a 102-year-old three-masted barque.
The ships will be guided into the harbour by HMNZS Wellington and two sailing waka and are due to arrive about 3pm on Friday.
The ships will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, before departing on Monday afternoon.
