New Zealand's latest chapter in the ongoing relationship with the Volvo Ocean Race, the VO70 Camper, visits Tauranga on Tuesday.

Camper is due in Tauranga on Tuesday morning.

Emirates Team New Zealand's managing director Grant Dalton says the Tauranga visit is following a tradition set by New Zealand Whitbread race entries.

'We did it for no more simple reason than to try and involve the public, to let them see what it is like on one of these boats, the conditions that you would be living in over the time that you are at sea,” says Grant.

'I remember my last tour of New Zealand was the end of ‘93 early ‘94 on NZ Endeavour, and we found that people had been to all the boats that had come in the past.

'So there will still be that element of people that have been on all the boats from Ceramco, Lion New Zealand, Fisher and Paykel, New Zealand Endeavour, and now this is the first one since then.

'You get one generation that will just be able to do the full comparison for the lot, like looking at old cars having a series of models: Valiants, Zephys or Cortinas.

'And then you will get another generation because being school holidays, there's kids who will be seeing one of these round the world boats for the very first time.

'When they see it on TV when the race starts in November this year they can relate to it, they feel part of it. And that's why we are doing it.”

But things have changed. Grant remembers standing at the top of the gangway charging people $2 to go on the boat, a practice that raised a good part of the funding for the early campaigns. Today it would take an awful lot of $2, says Grant.

The boats have also changed, the Volvo open 70s replaces the earlier open 60 class and are the fastest monohulls afloat, but some things remain the same, says Grant.

'Certain things that led New Zealanders in their love affair with the round the world race were ice bergs, adventure, man against the elements and big waves, storms in the Southern Ocean,” says Grant.

'I have sat many a night with my eyes glued to the radar screen while charging through the Southern Ocean, you get a lot of clutter because the waves will reflect a little bit off the tops of the waves.

'If you dial down the sensitivity to take out the clutter, you take out the small ice bergs you are looking for in the first place.

'If you are going fast in the southern ocean there's a definite risk, it never changes and that will never change.

'The Southern Ocean is the ultimate playground for the round the world yachtsman.

'And those qualities of the race will never leave it. It's just nature, and the people who sail the race are still exactly the same type of person, looking for adventure, they don't mind being wet, cold and not having enough sleep – and a little nervous.

'But those qualities will always be there, what has changed is the boat and really they have just got faster.”

Along with the ability of the boats to stream live high quality video, comes a new crew position this year – the cameraman.

'Under race rules, he can only cook, mop, and get the water out of the boat – and he has to film,” says Grant.

'Let's say you have a problem, which you have pretty regularly, a sail in the water. Instead of putting his hands in to pull that sail on, he will have his camera pointed at you, and you will see that.

'So that's a new move in the race. The guy we've got is Hamish Hooper, a yachtie out of television, and a gem of a guy. So we are going to get some really good Kiwi imagery.

Camper is expected alongside Mount Maunganui's Salisbury Wharf about 7am.

It will later move over to the Yacht Club at Sulphur Point, from where it will be taking the lucky draw winners sailing in the afternoon.

Grant will be speaking at the yacht club luncheon on Tuesday. It is open to the public at $40 a head.

Camper is expected to set sail for Gisborne about 5.30pm Tuesday.

'Then Wellington, then Dunedin, and back to Christchurch. We wanted to be in Christchurch on a weekend,” says Grant.