by Guest Editor Jeanette Tobin
Asia Pacific Superyachts New Zealand director Jeanette Tobin talks about specific places where Superyachts go and the berths she puts their boats onto in Auckland when they visit New Zealand.
Two marinas for Superyachts, Viaduct Harbour Marina and Silo Superyacht Marina, are located in downtown Auckland and have full power and water. Vessels can clear customs and biosecurity in/out from both marinas and there’s easy access to all local contractors, chandleries, supermarkets and Auckland’s leading restaurants and bars.
Viaduct Harbour Marina in downtown Auckland was built for the 2000 Americas Cup and is surrounded by leading bars & restaurants. Viaduct provides: 1 x 60m side-to berth; 4 x 50m berths; 4 x 40m berths; 8 x 30m berths; and full power & water facilities + Wi-Fi.
500m west of the Viaduct Marina in the newly developed Beaumont Quarter is the Silo Superyacht Marina, a new facility built to cope with the growing demand from larger vessels and an area where new bars and restaurants have opened.
Viaduct and Silo Marinas are near Auckland’s central business district where visitors can enjoy the entertainment planned throughout the summer which includes outdoor movie theatres, wine and food festivals, seafood festivals, music concerts plus much more… offering crew a real taste of New Zealand.
Silo Marina recently announced it has increased its capacity to accommodate vessels.
Currently the motor yachts “A”, Nahlin and Pacific are enjoying the facilities the port has to offer.
Construction has seen a new 90m dock added with a 1m freeboard, making it the biggest pontoon in New Zealand. Adjacent to the new pontoon, dredging has been carried out to provide ease of access to the dock and to open up access to a 64m berth adjacent to the new premises of Rig Pro which is an exciting feature of the new development – the improved ability to carry out mast stepping.
In addition to the development on the southern end of the marina, a new extension is about to be added to the existing docks on the northern end to create two new 65m (213ft) berths. With the new developments, Silo Marina will move from 535 linear metres to 874 linear metres of available space, doubling capacity and creating 10 berths in total to make boat movements easier.
There is a third option nearby, the Nelson Marina: Port Nelson at the top of the South Island has a Superyacht berth for larger vessels. The Port has a 40m pontoon for Superyachts visiting the Port – and is in excellent, safe facilities and offers the attractions of the Nelson region.
The marina’s central location is in a sheltered area and one not subject to sea surges.