Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray set sail on a Birthday Cruise.
Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray set sail on a Birthday Cruise.
Spy can reveal that former All Black Ali Williams went “all white” for his lavish 41st birthday bash, partying hard on Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour with his billionaire partner, Zuru Toys’ COO Anna Mowbray.
The couple entertained dozens of friends and family, including their respective children, at an all-white themed partyaboard the family's $21 million superyacht, the Mahoenui. The 40m Princess, originally named Odyssey, was bought from fellow billionaire Graeme Hart two years ago, shortly before the America's Cup in Auckland.
The birthday boy, chose to stand out on his own on the night, wearing all black while his guests donned all white. Williams later swapped out his black shirt for a red-and-black Flash Gordon one. Mowbray, 39, was resplendent in a shimmering white figure-hugging gown, with a low-cut bodice and thigh-high split.
Guests enjoyed cocktails galore, copious rounds of champagne and sumptuous food, mixing and mingling until late on the boat's three sprawling decks.
"White on White night. Oh what a night," Mowbray wrote on Instagram with a selection of snaps from the evening.
Themed parties are right on game for the couple who just love to dress up. For Williams' 40th birthday last year, the couple threw a Cuban-themed bash. In the past they've dressed up as Ken and Barbie, and they donned a Flash Gordon-inspired double ensemble for the "Out of this World" mega party at the Mowbray Toy Mansion in Coatesville in 2020.
All aboard the party boat for Ali Williams' Birthday Cruise.
Fellow former All Black Dan Carter was there to celebrate. He too celebrated a birthday this year, hitting the 40 milestone in early March. Spy hears Carter's celebrations were a little more low key, as the rugby star was in training for his 24-hour Kickathon at Eden Park in April, where he raised more than $500,000 for Unicef.
Williams, Mowbray and family dropped into Eden Park to support him on his quest to kick 1598 goals, the number he scored during his All Black test career. Carter has now listed the limited edition God Predator boots on eBay in an effort to raise more money for his DC10 Fund, which will support Unicef to help children in Aotearoa and the Pacific, and Unicef's Wash programme to provide clean water and sanitation to 134,000 children in Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
Other rugby fraternity mates there to celebrate Williams' birthday included former All Blacks' and the Blues' players Troy Flavell, Ron Cribb and Daniel Braid, and former the Blues player Dean Budd. Budd carried on his rugby career in Italy, captaining the Italian side three times.
Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray set sail on a Birthday Cruise. Photo / via Instagram
Mowbray's brother Nick missed out on the celebrations this time. He's in the US until June, mixing business and pleasure on a multi-city trip. In New York last week, he caught up with fellow entrepreneur Tim Brown, a former All Whites footballer and co-founder of footwear company Allbirds.
But Anna Mowbray's power set of Auckland girlfriends made up the numbers, including tech titan Carmen Vicelich and Trelise Cooper's co-designer and marketing brand director Julia Leuchars.
Also on the guest list were interior designer and The Block NZ presenter Shelley Ferguson and her husband, former Olympian and high-performance sports star Steven Ferguson. Mowbray, Williams and family – they have five children between them - holidayed with the Fergusons on the Mahoenui last summer.
Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray during the demolition of their property. Photo / via Instagram
Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray before and the demolition of their property. Photo / via Instagram
Shelley Ferguson is helping Mowbray and Williams with their multi-million-dollar dream home on the waterfront at Westmere, a property once owned by movie director Andrew Adamson.
The couple demolished Adamson's house six months after they bought it for $24 million and are now building a four-level home which will feature numerous living areas, a cellar bar, spa, home theatre and a viewing deck. They have applied to Auckland Council to develop a helicopter pad at their new home.
