Fresh cherries flown in from Harrods, sundowners on the beach and on-demand fun: Jane Phare discovers the uber wealthy can pay up to $500,000 a week to charter a superyacht, and well-heeled Kiwis are increasingly among those able to afford a floating holiday.
Debbie Wood remembers the day an order of figs and fresh cherries was flown in from Harrods in London for Dodi and the Princess, holidaying on the luxury superyacht Jonikal in the South of France.
It was 1997, the year that Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were killed in a car crash in Paris. But before that they spent an idyllic holiday together, soaking up the sun on the French Riviera on the 63-metre superyacht owned by Dodi’s father, billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed.
The precious cargo was flown into Nice airport, transported by road and then delivered to the Jonikal by boat. At the time, Wood, a young stewardess on the superyacht, wondered why the figs and cherries weren’t procured locally. But then again, when the yacht’s owner also owns Harrods, why not?
It was that experience, catering to the requests and whims of the wealthy, that would prove invaluable when she returned to New Zealand, after years spent working on superyachts in the Mediterranean, to set up her own business.
Now, 26 years later, Auckland-based Wood runs Amare Superyacht Services, catering for the requests, demands and whims of the owners, chefs and guests aboard superyachts that visit New Zealand or cruise the Pacific.
So far Wood hasn’t had to fly figs and cherries in from Harrods but she has organised complex supplies of food and drink to be airfreighted to Queenstown and then transferred by helicopter to superyachts in Milford and Marlborough Sounds.
And she’s used to provisioning for superyachts that stock up in New Zealand before heading to the South Pacific for three to six months of charter cruising. She once provisioned a 130m superyacht with two tonnes of food before it set sail.
With a hot, dry summer promised, charter boat companies – still reeling from the effects of Covid-19 border closures and gutted that Auckland is not hosting next year’s America’s Cup – are hoping for a bumper season. Coming up is the Millennium Cup in Auckland from February 23 to 26, an event that attracts superyacht owners and their crews from around the world.
Out on Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour, and available for charter, is one of billionaire Graeme Hart’s original Ulysses, a 32-metre classic motor yacht now named Sea Breeze III. Owned by Charlotte Devereux and Simon Greenwood, a former grinder with New Zealand’s first America’s Cup challenge in 1987, the couple run Boutique Superyachts, chartering Sea Breeze III for $3335 an hour, plus catering expenses.
With five levels on board and a capacity for nearly 100 guests, Devereux says Sea Breeze III makes a “fabulous” party boat. In addition, Boutique Superyachts is offering Christmas lunch cruise packages for between $195 and $390 a head, depending on numbers.
But superyacht charters at the high end come with a whole different price tag.
Back in Auckland from a Pacific winter season of cruising is jeweller Michael Hill’s colossal 39.2m adventure catamaran The Beast. The superyacht is up for charter in New Zealand, in between private use, until March at a cost of more than $500,000 a week which includes GST and a 30 per cent “APA”, a standard advanced provisioning allowance which covers food, drinks, crew gratuities and any additional expenses. (Clients get change if it’s not all spent).
It’s an eye-watering amount for the average punter but no longer beyond the reach of New Zealand’s uber wealthy, although with Covid border closures now a mere unpleasant memory, charter operators say they’re just as likely to fly first class to Europe and charter a superyacht in the Mediterranean.
A ‘massive’ increase in wealth
Victoria University researcher Max Rashbrooke has studied the marked increase in wealth of the top percentage of New Zealanders who can call themselves multi-millionaires and, in some cases, billionaires. There’s little doubt the wealthy are getting wealthier, he says.
Rashbrooke, adjunct senior research fellow in the university’s school of government, points to the IRD’s deep dive into the wealth, income and tax of 311 individuals which revealed they controlled tens of billions of dollars in assets. The results showed not only are there more wealthy people than previously known but they are getting richer. In the years between 2015 and 2021, the mean wealth of the group increased from $205 million to $275m.
In 2015, 36 in the group were worth more than $250m, but by 2021 that number had more than doubled to 77.
“There’s always been wealthy people in New Zealand but there has been a massive increase at the very upper end. You’ve got people who are able to lead really quite extraordinary lifestyles that are entirely out of reach of average New Zealanders.”
Displays of that wealth manifest in multimillion-dollar houses, art that sells for six figures and more: exclusive golf courses, superyachts, private planes, helicopters and heli-pads. Sales of luxury products have recovered at a time when some Kiwis are “struggling to afford to buy a cauliflower”, Rashbrooke says.
A report published earlier this year by Henley & Partners on the world’s wealthiest individuals ranked Auckland a lowly 37th in terms of wealth, with 40 centi-millionaires (US$100m +) and two billionaires. By comparison, New York ranked first with 724 centi-millionaires and 58 billionaires. But the report also noted there had been a 43 per cent growth in “high net worth individuals” in Auckland over the past decade, compared to Sydney’s 35 per cent growth.
That’s been enough to attract the interest of businesses like international yacht charter company Y.Co - based in Monaco with offices in London and Florida - which set up an Auckland office last year in anticipation of growing business in New Zealand and the Pacific.
Y.Co CEO and co-founder Charlie Birkett told the Herald the South Pacific had become a sought-after yachting destination for both owners and clients, and the expansion into Auckland was part of the company’s commitment to provide round-the-clock support.
But since establishing the office, new business has come from Kiwis with a growing number of Kiwi clients opting to charter Y.Co’s yachts either in New Zealand and the Pacific, or further afield in the Mediterranean or Americas, Birkett says.
“This trend has confirmed our belief in the significance of this region and reaffirms our commitment to remaining a prominent presence here.”
The new Ulysses
One of the two billionaires who no doubt featured in Henley & Partners wealth report, Graeme Hart, has just launched another superyacht to add to his past fleet, all called either Odyssey or Ulysses.
The 103m Feadship, classified as a “megayacht”, can accommodate 20 guests and 40 crew, boasts its own helicopter and is to be christened Ulysses. Now undergoing sea trials after its launch in Amsterdam, the huge Feadship is unlikely to be steaming into Auckland’s harbour any time soon.
But there are other impressive superyachts in town, and more due to arrive for the Millenium Cup.
Kerry Packer’s former luxury superyacht Artic P is available for charter in New Zealand after undergoing extensive refurbishment. The $165m, 88m ice-breaker vessel, which can accommodate 12 guests and has 25 crew, will cost $935,000 a week plus APA costs. Arctic P was passed to Packer’s son James but later bought by Packer’s daughter Gretel.
New in town is the magestic superyacht Perseus 3, a 60m sloop built by Italian-built Perini Navy in conjunction with Ron Holland design. Boasting accommodation for 10 guests in five state rooms, Perseus 3 is available for charter at a cost of $664,000 a week (including GST) plus 30 to 35 per cent APA.
Perseus 3 is part of the lineup for the Millenium Cup, alongside superyachts like the 39.75 Janice of Wyoming, and the 34m Royal Huisman yacht Sassafras.
Perseus 3′s captain, South African-born Burger van der Walt, says the owner wanted a superyacht that could cruise the oceans but was also capable of winning regattas.
One superyacht worth 1000 Australian tourists
Peter Busfield, CEO of New Zealand Marine Export Group which organises the Millennium Cup, says the event gives superyacht owners a reason to come to New Zealand, stay longer and spend money.
Although it’s a “friendly” regatta, once the yachts are on the start line, the race becomes deadly serious. Superyacht owners have been known to import skilled racing crews for the regatta, previously held in the Bay of Islands, and spend big money getting their superyachts racing ready.
“We’ve known these yachts to spend $1 million with the local marine industry in preparation for the race,” he says. The owners will invest in spinnakers and other specialist racing sails which would normally not be used while cruising.
The New Zealand is known for its expertise in boat building, and mast and sail making, Busfield says. Superyacht owners who have had their towering masts made by Southern Spas in Auckland will bring their boats back for inspection and maintenance.
Visiting superyachts are good for the economy, providing work for hundreds of boat-building apprentices, and spending between $30,000 and $50,000 a week to feed crew and guests on board.
One visiting superyacht will spend more than $3m, including maintenance and provisioning, Busfield says, the equivalent of 1000 Australian tourists holidaying in New Zealand for a week.
Examining every raspberry
Wood is coy about what superyacht provisioning orders are worth but says they run to tens of thousands of dollars, particularly if a superyacht is loading for an extended cruise in the Pacific. She’s used to sourcing not only fresh New Zealand produce but everything from a particular brand of chocolate ordered by a pastry chef, foreign wines to supplement New Zealand wines, Wagyu beef, South Island salmon, crayfish, and accommodating guests who are vegan, gluten-free, lactose intolerant or have nut allergies.
Apart from collating a wide range of food and making sure it is delivered in perfect condition, Wood handles the logistics and complex bio-security documentation needed to destinations like Fiji, French Polynesia, and the Solomon Islands.
“For example if you are sending raspberries up to the islands, each one has to be individually checked for insects.”
For those wanting to charter in the Pacific, Wood says a 60m superyacht with a beach club and all the toys will cost around $510,000 to $675,000 a week, with an APA of between 30 to 35 per cent on top of that. But there are cheaper options as well. A sailing yacht accommodating six to eight guests can be chartered for just over $40,000 a week, with a skipper and chef included.
Fleur Tomlinson, who runs Y.Co’s Auckland office, says bookings are already busy for next winter’s season in the Pacific, some of them New Zealanders. Overseas visitors chartering boats in New Zealand are keen to explore the Bay of Islands, Waiheke, Great Barrier, the Poor Knights, and pristine anchorages like Whangaroa Harbour.
Kiwis have a choice of a range of charter boats and, when compared to some luxury resorts, are price-comparable. A week on the luxury Sunreef 80 power catamaran Kokomo costs $143,000 plus GST and the APA. But a week in a two-bedroom villa on an exclusive Fiji island can cost more, she points out.
Most people working in the charter business in New Zealand say what goes on below deck is nothing like the ghastly behaviour portrayed on the US reality TV series Below Deck where the crew seem to spend more time scrapping than doing their duties.
Wood says Below Deck makes the industry look “trashy”.
“I’ve personally never worked on a yacht where the crew and owners were behaving like that. That’s because you can choose the yacht you want to work on.”
Van der Walt says there’s a family atmosphere on board Perseus 3 between the crew and the owner. To that end, Van der Walt won’t hire more than three people of the same nationality so people don’t feel left out and language barriers become a problem.
Tomlinson says people chartering in New Zealand tend to be more down-to-earth, and don’t make unreasonable demands.
“It’s not about being seen, it’s more about going for an adventure.
“The wealthy coming to the Pacific are more likely to want to explore remote parts of the world, surf a deserted reef or dive in pristine waters.”
‘It’s never happened in my time’
The Beast’s captain, Aucklander Andy Grocott agrees. He’s heard the stories about superyacht owners or guests demanding pizza from their favourite New York restaurant to be flown in on a chartered plane.
“You hear those crazy stories but it’s never happened in my time with the family and it never will.”
Nor has he witnessed unreasonable demands by charter guests. He points out that because The Beast tends to go off the beaten track, outrageous requests aren’t really on the menu.
Neither is there gold braid on the crew uniforms. Instead the nine crew are casually dressed in white polo shirts and black shorts: “Comfortable and easy to wash,” Grocott says.
That’s in line with the type of boat The Beast has designed to be.
“We’re very low key and we attract those people that don’t have outrageous demands,” he says.
“And likewise with the family. They’re literally just a Kiwi family who love boating, they love to go fishing, walk on the beach, go for hikes.”
Guests won’t find jet skis and a waterslide on board The Beast. Dive tanks, fishing rods, kayaks, yes.
“It’s very much an adventure boat, that’s our appeal I think,” Grocott says.
The Beast may not have a waterslide but it does have a teppanyaki hot plate on the top deck.
“It’s a very entertaining meal and very social as well. Everyone’s sitting round and they’re chatting with the chef.“
If there are not too many guests on board the crew will be invited to join the family and guests as well, Grocott says.
”It’s a really lovely social experience to be able to have a meal together in some off-the-beaten-track anchorage.”
The more remote the better for “the boss” (aka Michael Hill).
Favourite spots are in the Far North: Spirit’s Bay, Cape Karikari (Whakapouaka), Mangonui, Whangaroa and the Cavalli Islands. If the weather’s settled they’ll head for the Three Kings Islands. A favourite outing is taking the 13m tender into Parengarenga Harbour for a day’s fishing, where snaring a king fish is the top prize.
The Beast to the rescue
It was the smaller, faster boats on board The Beast that helped save the lives of four men in distress last December after their small boat capsized and sank about 20km off Cape Brett. Crew from The Beast, anchored not far away in Whangamumu Harbour, raced to the men’s rescue, none of whom were wearing life jackets.
One had dived under the boat to retrieve the EPIRB.
“That was the one that could have gone badly very quickly – fading light, weather increasing,” Grocott says. “It was just a lucky chance that the strobe light on the top of the EPIRB, one of the boys on the boat managed to catch a flash from it, so they knew which way to go.”
The superyacht has been involved in at least three blue-water rescues, one while heading back from Fiji in September. After picking up a mayday call from the crew of a yacht, Second Life, The Beast steamed for 17 hours to reach the stricken vessel where one man had died and another was injured.
The sea was too rough to launch a rescue boat so The Beast and P&O cruise ship Pacific Explorer stood by until the Fijian Navy arrived.
Deep-sea rescues aside, life aboard The Beast during charters can be full on - cleaning, serving meals, setting up the beach club, or organising cocktails at sundown and beach barbecues.
“If the guests want it, that’s what we do.”
The Beast carries enough fuel to travel 6000 nautical miles and can carry 60,000 litres of water, with two water makers capable of making 28,000 litres in 24 hours. Some of the water is used as ballast to keep The Beast level.
“When we lift a 19-tonne game boat off the deck then that changes our stability or our trim quite a lot so we move water around to keep us balanced.”
Grocott has spent most of his adult like at sea after a cadetship on the Spirit of Adventure and later heading for Florida in the late 1990s to join the superyacht circuit. He can’t imagine a different life.
He’s worked for “the boss” since 2006, first as captain of Hill’s first superyacht, the 34m VvS1, named after an almost flawless diamond, and later overseeing the building of The Beast.
Life on board for the nine crew can get “pretty busy” with guests on board. Twelve-hour days and longer are not unusual.
“But that’s the job,” Grocott says cheerfully.
Jane Phare is a senior Auckland-based features and investigations journalist, former assistant editor of NZ Herald and former editor of the Weekend Herald and Viva.