A former RNZ Navy yacht that was busted attempting to smuggle two tonnes of cocaine into the UK is now up for auction, with no reserve.
The MY Kahu was originally built in Whangārei in 1979 as a Moa-class patrol boat for the Navy and was originally named HMNZS Manawanui.
She was later modified as a dive tender before being converted as a long-range expedition yacht by Fitzroy Yachts in New Plymouth in 2012.
One of those expeditions ended in ignominy in September 2021 when police boarded the Kahu 80 miles off the UK coast and found two tonnes of cocaine.
UK police were tipped to Kahu's illicit cargo by the Australian Federal Police as part of their massive Operation Ironside bust, which used an encrypted network to ensnare criminals around the world, including in New Zealand.