Next year will see New Zealand host a world-first superyacht sport fishing competition in the Bay of Islands, showcasing one example of the adventure to be found on New Zealand shores. The fishing competition, held prior to the NZ Millennium Cup superyacht regatta, will be open to yachts over 24 metres with entry for up to five anglers per yacht. Entry to the regatta includes temporary membership to the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club. The club is the oldest game fishing club in New Zealand and second oldest in the world, and will be on-hand to provide expert guides, equipment… Read More

Lusty & Blundell Ltd, New Zealand’s largest distributor of leading-brand marine industry products and systems, is now owned by CEO Mark Milburn, qualified boat builder and experienced businessman Cameron Maher and L&B OEM sales manager Morgan Brodie. Founded in 1974 by marine industry stalwart Ken Lusty, Lusty and Blundell is renowned for providing premium products and practical solutions and proudly distributes many of the industry’s most iconic brands.* Mark Milburn, who becomes managing director, has been with L&B for more than 20 years, over 12 of those as CEO. Mark has a strong focus on both customer service and adding… Read More

The first stage of an extensive development at Orams Marine is complete, marking the culmination of a project years in the making. At an event held on Thursday evening overlooking the new 12,000 sqm hardstand, with the new 820 tonne and 85 tonne travel lifts backlit against Auckland city’s skyline, and superyachts providing a backdrop for proceedings, project stakeholders gathered for the occasion. Welcomed by Orams Marine CEO, Neven Barbour, the event began with an acknowledgement of the effort by many parties who had worked to bring the project to fruition. From the Orams Marine team, to their partners within Auckland… Read More

Lusty & Blundell, New Zealand’s largest distributor of world-leading marine products and systems, is about to undertake a comprehensive winter road show, highlighting the latest advances and innovations in marine technologies. The tour, which will initially target technical dealers and marine electricians, will showcase ground-breaking products such as the award-winning CTEK CS Free portable battery charger, Vesper Marine’s innovative Cortex VHF/monitoring/control system, lithium batteries, electric outboards and trolling motors, and the latest range of Raymarine marine electronics. The road show will also feature new marine camera technology from FLIR and the latest updates to Raymarine’s innovative LightHouse operating system. The… Read More

  New Zealand builders Circa Marine has released the first video of their new 24m Adventure cruiser “Mollymawk”.  To make things even more exciting a deep subtropical low east of the North Island was directing strong south easterlies and large waves over the east coast of the upper North Island. Circa’s Deon Ogden says ‘With a 3-4 m swell and a 30-knot breeze gusting to a maximum recorded gust of 39 Knots at about a 60-70degree angle to the swell “Mollymawk” handled the conditions nicely, cruising comfortably at 11-12knots when heading directly into, and then on various angles too the… Read More

The newly implemented air travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand, combined with an existing sea border exemption for vessels, means New Zealand is now open to business for cruising yachts and superyachts coming from Australia. The yachts can visit New Zealand under the sea border exemption and yacht owners, their families and friends can then join the yacht in New Zealand via the air border. With the two destinations and the wider South Pacific amongst the safest places to visit globally, the establishment of this new bubble provides a wealth of opportunities for those eager to get back out on… Read More

There are loads of great prizes on offer at this year’s Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show and all of them will be won.  Here are some of them: Surtees/Yamaha Grand Prize The big one, of course, is the Surtees/Yamaha Grand Prize, worth over $250,000. Make sure you get your ticket stamped at all 8 stamping booths for your chance to win this life-changing prize. (Tip: buy your ticket online at www.boatshow.co.nz by May 12 and double your chances of winning!) Viking Family Kayaks Each day of the show, top New Zealand kayak manufacturer, Viking Kayaks, will be giving away two… Read More

Yamaha has expanded its retail presence in the Waikato with the appointment of Woodbine Marine Hamilton as a new dealer. The opening of Woodbine Marine Hamilton further strengthens Yamaha’s footprint in the Waikato region, complementing the already established Rollo’s Marine, Paeroa Marine & Cycle Centre, Whitianga Marine, Matamata Marine, and Yamaha partners Tristram Marine. Located at the corner Te Rapa Rd and McKee St, in the Hamilton suburb of Pukete, the new 3000 sqm dealership will officially open on May 1st. The dealership complements Woodbine’s outlet in Auckland which has been open since 2006. Newly appointed Yamaha ambassador Matt Watson… Read More

Launched last month T/T Skorpios is the latest custom superyacht tender from Auckland’s Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders.  Constructed as a high-end yacht support tender, this customised Catalyst’s design genesis lies in Emirates Team New Zealand’s high-performance chase boats, previously built by Salthouse Boatbuilders. Since 2019 the ever-popular Catalyst has found a new home with LSB. T/T Skorpios is a multifunctional support tender. Still, her primary roles are as a chase boat and weight reduction for her mothership S/Y Skorpios, a 38m high-performance superyacht currently under construction in Finland. A Catalyst straight from the mould is 13.7m, whereas T/T Skorpios has been… Read More

The Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, the oldest, largest and most popular boat show in New Zealand, has become an official sponsor of Coastguard NZ. “The show has long been a strong supporter of Coastguard and the great work they do helping save lives at sea,” says the show’s general manager Dave Gibbs. “We are proud to have now taken the next step and become one of Coastguard’s official sponsors.”                             As part of the show’s new sponsorship, the organisers will run a live auction on the… Read More