Rich bringing toys to cup

Forget the plan, you need a superyacht to really show off. But NICK PERRY and JOHN ANDREWS find even hiring one is a dream.

Superyachts - the ultimate status symbol of the world's wealthy - are set to flood into Auckland waters next year.

The America's Cup village said yesterday that it had all but filled the 80 berths set aside for the 25-60m luxury vessels at the Viaduct Basin.

It had taken more than 50 non-refundable deposits of $35,000, and had another 30 bookings, some for up to six months.

If all the Auckland berths are taken, the owners of the motor and sail boats , who include Middle-Eastern royalty and American billionaires, may moor in Devonport or on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

The Government is keen to make hay while the big toys are in town.

Trade officials will try to convince the boat-owners to invest in local properties and businesses.

A TradeNZ spokesman, Paul Voigt, said it was a more subtle process than just setting up meetings with the owners.

"To use the New York expression, you have to start schmoozing with them and develop a relationship."

Most boats will be the private playgrounds of the owners - although the village is expecting one or two to be available for Aucklanders to charter.

The superyachts are worth between $15 and $50 million each and cost the owners about $2 million a year to maintain.

Most are crewed by a staff of about 10, including cooks, waiters and sailors.

But chartering one advertised superyacht, the 58m Princess Tanya, would set you back $350,000 a week - more than the average Auckland home is worth.

The nine-cabin Princess Tanya comes fitted with a spa-pool, gym, sauna, beauty salon complete with beautician and hairdresser, sailing dinghy, two windsurfers, water-skis, jet-skis, wave-runners, satellite navigation and air-conditioning.

Optional extras on other yachts include helicopters, roll-on cars, casinos and small nightclubs.

One Asian owner coming to the cup has asked the village for space to park four Harley Davidson motorbikes he is bringing.

The village chief executive, Rob Sutherland, said the yachts had become the playthings of the world's richest people in the 1990s, after private planes lost their attraction.

The problem with planes, said Mr Sutherland, was they lay hidden away at airports and could not be shown off.

But the boats were on display close to the centre of town and could easily be used to impress and entertain guests.

He said New Zealand had never before catered to the types of people that would come over on the boats.

"If they want Danish butter for breakfast, we will bring it in. If they want fruit and flowers at four in the morning, we will make sure it's done."

Mr Sutherland said one American businessman, who was worth $4 billion, was bringing 292 "key employees" of his company for three months.

The staff would continue running the company from Auckland hotels, using the Internet and telecommunications.

P & O Services and McKay Shipping have jointly won the contract to service the boats.

McKay's managing director, Craig Harris, said any staff boarding the superyachts would have high-level security clearance.

Mr Sutherland said the village would charge owners $1000 a day to moor their boats. The Auckland economy would benefit by $100 million from having the yachts in town.

The Tourism Auckland chief executive, Lance Bickford, said there was no downside for Auckland, and the region was ready for the jump in standard of service.