The bulk of the All Whites squad left Auckland tonight looking to create a piece of football history.
Their destination is South Africa and the Confederations Cup, a tournament in which New Zealand's two previous appearances -- in Mexico in 1999 and France in 2003 -- ended without a point.
"We've never got a result before from the Confederations Cup, so we certainly won't dismiss that as a priority," coach Ricki Herbert said.
"This team have had some pretty decent milestones in the last few years. Another scalp like a point or a win would be fantastic for us." For the All Whites, the tournament is a precursor to their final home-and-away World Cup qualifying tie against as-yet unconfirmed Asian opposition in October and November.
They will face European champions Spain on June 15 (NZ time) and South Africa on June 18, both times at Rustenburg.
Their last pool match is against Iraq in Johannesburg on June 21.
Herbert acknowledged that snatching even a draw against any of those three countries would be a tough assignment, "but October and November will be tough too".
Before the Confederations Cup, the All Whites have friendlies away to Tanzania and Botswana on June 4 and 7, and a glamour fixture against world champions Italy in Pretoria on June 11.
Apart from the football, Herbert said the three-week stay in Africa would also be about having players spend time together and "bedding down the team".
"We will probably do as much off the pitch as we do on it," he said.
"It's just developing people's knowledge and understanding, and building all the relationships within the group."
On the field, the players would look to gel with their teammates within the 4-4-2 system they would adopt for their final World Cup qualifying tie.
"We may not get another fixture until October," Herbert said.
"With the lack of time we're going to have together, we have to make the most of these three weeks to make sure everyone is on the right page."
The All Whites' route to South Africa will be via Sydney and Dubai.
Along the way, they will be joined by the Australian-based trio of Shane Smeltz, Glen Moss and Jeremy Brockie, and European-based Kris Bright and Chris James.
Celtic striker Chris Killen will link up with the squad in the middle of next week, as will the American contingent, who are on club duty this weekend.
Herbert said it was likely that the late arrivals would not feature in the opening friendly against Tanzania.
The All Whites go into the Confederations Cup without regular skipper Ryan Nelsen, the Blackburn defender having been sidelined with a torn calf muscle.
Nelsen's unavailability has resulted in Auckland City captain Ivan Vicelich coming out of international retirement to fill in.
The 23-strong squad contains one new cap in 17-year-old striker Chris Wood, a West Bromwich Albion trainee.
