$18m Bay-built boat lifted into water

There was a hushed silence around Sulphur Point this morning as the multimillion dollar Liara II yacht was launched.
Boats gathered in the harbour and Southern Ocean Marine's staff took snapshots in between tasks to lift the $18 million boat into the water.
The boat has taken around three years to build and involved 30 craftsmen getting it shipshape.
This morning, after months sat on supports outside Southern Ocean Marine's headquarters at Mirrielees Rd, Tauranga it was gently launched into the harbour.
McLeod Cranes took two months to prepare for the launch, which went without a hitch.
The only problem was finding enough hard hats and hi-visibility jackets for those wanting to watch from the Port of Tauranga wharf.
Company director Greg Prescott said he was glad it was over as he stood aboard the yacht this morning.
"I'm a little relieved," he said.
"It floats! In this game nothing is straight-forward. It's been logistically exciting. There's so much of it to take in.
"There's been a lot of interest in it as people drove by (Southern Ocean Marine headquarters)."
Liara II will set sail for Monaco on February 24 to be shown off to the yachting community with hopes of more orders.
It is the second boat Southern Ocean Marine _ co-owned by Mr Prescott and Greg McNabb _ has built for its English owner.
Mr Prescott said the man was a keen sailor and the boat would be used for well-known ``fun' races such as the Antigua race week.
First stop for Liara II though is Auckland where it will be rigged up with a 44-metre mast and have its interior finished.
It will then be sailed back to Tauranga, avoiding the airport's low clearance zone, ahead of its round-the-world trip.
Its crew will first sail to Panama then on to Antigua in the Caribbean for race week in May. Then it will go onto the UK and to Monaco for the prestigious Monaco Boat Show. Mr McNabb said he hoped the fine finish will secure more orders for the team, which swelled to 75 during the build.
"It's been a pleasant challenge," he said.
"The boat's gone really well and we've had a good launch - everyone has put a lot of passion into it. They were all as nervous as me.
"We've got a lot of potential clients sitting on the fence at the moment, they're waiting to see if we can become super-yacht capable."
Liara II eclipses in value any of Southern Ocean Marine's previous jobs and is the more luxurious big brother to the 20m cruiser it built for the English owner in 2005.