Luxury superyacht visits Tauranga waters

The Plus Ultra Superyacht, anchored off the Tauranga coast, dwarfs a fishing boat which zooms past. Photo/Andrew Warner

A luxury multimillion-dollar superyacht travelling between Westhaven and the Bay of Islands has spent most of Thursday anchored in Tauranga waters.

The 74m by 12m PLVS VLTRA pleasure craft, which was believed to be worth NZ$54 million, was spotted off the coast of Tauranga, anchored off Omanu Beach.

According to marinetraffic.com, the yacht left Westhaven on March 13 at 1.30pm and was expected to arrive in the Bay of Islands at 9am on Friday.

The site said the yacht has been anchored in Tauranga since at least 4am on Wednesday.

The vessel was built in 2016 in the Netherlands by Dutch company Amels and was delivered in 2016.

The superyacht can sleep 12 guests and boasts a crew of 19.

Weighing 1675 tonnes, the superyacht's home port is George Town in the Cayman Islands.

When the Bay of Plenty Times went to Omanu Beach this afternoon, one of the guests could be seen leaving the boat on a jet ski while another appeared to enjoy the view from one the of yacht's three decks. People wearing blue jumpers could also be seen on board.

A guest on board the Plus Ultra Superyacht, anchored off the Tauranga coast, enjoys the view. Photo/Andrew Warner

Allan Mundy, who is a senior club member of Omanu Beach Surf Lifesaving Club, said he first noticed the superyacht about 7.30am on Wednesday and although he had seen many yachts in the area in the past, this one was definitely the nicest one he had seen there.

"It's a beautiful looking craft."

PLVS VLTRA

Top speed: 16 knots
Cruise speed: 15 knots
Range: 5000nm
Displacement: 1725t
Beam: 12.45m
Guests: 12
Crew: 19
- Source: Boat International