Maltese superyacht to isolate at Queens Wharf

The first superyacht to dock at a new quarantine wharf at Auckland’s Queens Wharf will arrive in the City of Sailing today, and the crew on board will have a unique form of isolation.

Malta’s 81-meter AIR superyacht, which is chartered for NZ $ 1.6 million per week, departed from its last port in the Tahitian capital Papeete on 25 September.

A border exemption from the Ministry of Health means that the crew’s nine days at sea can count as part of their 14-day Covid-19 isolation.

The superyacht’s crew is among the few exempt foreign nationals who can enter the New Zealand border, provided the ship they run spends millions on overhaul and repair work at a Kiwi shipowner.

The wealthy owners of these water palaces persist in sending them to Auckland. There is a waiting list of yachts floating off Tahiti trying to sail here.

A stainless steel and granite galley of a superyacht.

A hot tub is located on the deck of the luxury superyacht Solandge. Photo / Simon Dawson, Bloomberg via Getty Images

A customs spokesman said that part of Queens Wharf normally used for processing cruise ships was now a temporary customs controlled area for “pleasure craft, such as superyachts” that will be “secured from the public.”

“Any international ships arriving will be subjected to isolation requirements in accordance with the Maritime Border Order until it is approved by health officials,” the spokesman said.

Auckland ports will oversee berth logistics requirements such as lines and tugs.

On October 15, the 57-meter superyacht Senses will also dock at the Queens Wharf quarantine after sailing from Fiji.

Given that superyacht crews are among the few international border arrivals to reach quarantine in a private setting rather than a hotel supervised by the Ministry of Health, it seems reasonable to compare the quality of accommodation.

The superyacht Ocean Victory docks at the Wynyard Quarter Pier in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbor in 2015. Photo / File

How do the AIR superyacht and Auckland’s Jet Park Hotel compare for quarantine conditions?

Food

Superyachts have a chef on board and it is not uncommon for orders such as fresh New York bagels to be shipped 2500km to St Baths to satiate the owner’s breakfast tastes. Obviously there won’t be an equivalent food courier service at this time for the crew, but the kitchens typically have a heavy seafood menu of sea bass, scallops, salmon, squid, and a variety of tropical fruits and fresh vegetables.

Australian stewardess aboard a 164-foot Trinity yacht, Sarah Begbie, said a professional chef “cooked for both the guests and the crew, and the food was of the highest standard. We once had a guest who imported meat from Organic Japanese Kobe Beef for $ 11,000 [$16,000] and bring Louis Roederer Cristal champagne. “

Reports of the food at the Jet Park Inn have also been very positive from quarantined guests. The day’s meal consists of menus like Weet-Bix for breakfast, pumpkin, kumara and feta salad, or sausage and puree, for lunch, and lamb curry with basmati rice for dinner.

“All the food comes fresh and hot. They always ask if we want a juice or a soda with our meal,” said Christchurch Jet Park guest Monique Bensemann.

Lamb curry and basmati rice dinner is served at the Jet Park Hotel in Auckland. Photo / Monique Bensemann

Freedom

Sunlight is not the strong suit of a quarantined hotel room.

The standard room at the Jet Park hotel measures 30 square meters.

A negative Covid test is also required before obtaining a wristband that allows you to wander the hotel grounds alone.

The AIR superyacht has enough deck space for its up to 24 crew to truly and well practice social distancing while sunbathing.

It spans 972 square meters, and there are four levels of it!

You can also land a helicopter on it.

The Air superyacht arriving at Auckland’s new Quarantine Pier on 4 October has a helipad. Photo / Dean Purcell

Mod cons

AIR superyacht: Jacuzzi, observation deck, large folding swim platform with bar, 102 “pop-up TV screen for outdoor movies, jet skis, kayaks, gym, massage room, steam room, and a slide for yachts.

Jet Park: TV, walk in the garden alone.

Typical saloon of a superyacht. Image provided by www.yachtforums.com

Human contact

The AIR superyacht that sailed from Tahiti has between 10 and 20 crew members, who began their quarantine the moment they left for New Zealand and can mingle and sleep together as they wish.

The most humane contact you will get at the Jet Park Hotel is a nurse in personal protective equipment who dips a six-inch swab into your sinuses.

Vice

As if the hotel’s isolation facilities weren’t repressive enough, alcohol is not available at the Jet Park Hotel.

Instead, that saying “drink like a sailor” must have some truth. The AIR has a bar, presumably well stocked across Tahiti.

You can also smoke a cigarette on the deck, which in Jet Park is difficult because most rooms do not have a balcony.

The Big Fish superyacht in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbor. The photo shows the spa pool. Photo / Archive

Your future

This is a category where the Jet Park Inn has the upper hand.

Yes, the 14-day quarantine in your hotel room is highly regulated, with mandatory morning visits from a nurse and the military manning the doors. But once you’ve turned in a negative 14-day test for Covid-19, you’ll be free in your home country.

The crew of the superyacht that has docked in New Zealand remains in true limbo. Some of the crew have been stranded in New Zealand since before the March 25 lockdown, and the owners don’t know where to send their ship next.

But superyacht broker Duthie Lidgard says many are taking advantage of pay and time off.

“The crew that’s trapped here, they don’t care. They’re touring New Zealand because the ship isn’t leaving, so they can take the weekends off and do whatever it takes,” Lidgard said.

Auckland City Council promotes private quarantine

The tourism branch of the Auckland Council wants a way for people to self-quarantine in a private setting, outside of the hotel’s managed isolation.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) is forming working groups to plan private quarantine options for when international citizens can visit New Zealand.

“ATEED is part of broader conversations about managed isolation quarantine, and is not specific to the America’s Cup,” said ATEED CEO Nick Hill.

“The business community wants to collaborate with the public sector to find shared, smart and responsive solutions to live, work and do business in a Covid-19 world that does not compromise the safety of our people.”

This private quarantine option would be suitable for wealthy visitors who can afford their own more convenient form of quarantine.