Broadcaster Paul Henry selling multi-million dollar yacht Olive, named after his mum

NZ Herald

15 Nov, 2023 04:26 AM3 mins to read

Paul Henry is selling his multi-million dollar yacht Olive, named after his late mother. Photo / TradeMe

Broadcast legend Paul Henry is selling his multi-million dollar yacht Olive which he built and named in memory of his late mother.

The Van Der Heijden Explorer Motor Yacht, which first set sail under the name Olive in 2018 from the Netherlands, has been put on TradeMe for $3.75m.

Henry had a close bond with his mother Olive, who made a number of appearances on the morning show Breakfast and had viewers falling in love with her bright and humorous personality.

The former broadcaster built the yacht 18 months after Olive’s death in 2016, as a way to keep his mother’s spirit alive and take her on the journey of cruising, something she dreamed of doing while she was still alive.

The luxury yacht even features an artwork that contains Olive’s ashes, with Henry saying that now his mother can be “constantly on the water”.

Earlier this year Henry opened up, revealing the connection he has with the yacht and the reason he has sailed the world in honour of his mother.

The interior of Paul Henry's yacht Olive. Photo / TradeMe

OLIVE's first extended passage saw her leave the Netherlands in May 2018 spending long periods of time in the Mediterranean and Caribbean countries before sailing via Panama to the Galapagos Islands, Marquesas Islands and Tahiti. Photo / TradeMe

“She was my biggest cheerleader and lived her life for me. She loved travel and in her final years talked about going on a cruise, but she’d left it too late. She was too frail.

“She’s still sitting there on the boat because she’s baked into it,” Henry said. “It’s not just named after her – it is her. She always wanted to do a cruise and never did, but now she’s constantly on the water.

“I have a lovely stainless steel work of art, and in the middle there are olive leaves cut out of it and in the middle of that, there’s a hole with a dome of glass with her ashes in it. It sounds kind of tacky, but it’s just lovely.”

"This is a rare opportunity to purchase a vessel of this young age and quality, that is literally walk on ready for summer cruising and beyond. With many upgrades, she is better than new," the listing said. Photo / TradeMe

But after just completing a voyage from Fiji to New Zealand, the 63-year-old is ready to part ways, saying “I adore everything about Olive but it is time to buy a bigger boat”.

The interior has had a refit according to Henry. Photo / TradeMe

So what are you getting for the $3.75m price tag?

The 90-tonne vessel is 22.8m in length with 2x FTP (Iveco) 370hp engines, a 5.9m beam, full capacity of 11,000L and a cruising speed of 7.5 knots at 20 l/hr. It also has numerous bed spaces available that could be utilised by the owner to have guests on board for overnight advantages.

Olive has spent about 176 days at sea, with Henry describing the yacht as “literally walk-on ready for summer cruising and beyond. With many upgrades, she is better than new”.

The listing says Oliver was just back from cruising Fiji, and offers a high standard of adventure, luxury and security.

“From main engines, stabilisers, computer and satellite systems to thrusters, communication and overall design, OLIVE is ‘state of the art’,” the website about the yacht’s adventures describes.