{"id":627589,"date":"2026-10-11T19:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T19:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/627589\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T19:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T19:34:09","slug":"superyacht-zen-spotted-in-auckland-linked-to-chinese-billionaires-jack-ma-and-wu-guangming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/627589\/","title":{"rendered":"Superyacht Zen spotted in Auckland, linked to Chinese billionaires Jack Ma and Wu Guangming"},"content":{"rendered":"

It can accommodate up to 16 guests in eight cabins, with accommodation for a crew of 25.<\/p>\n

Its interiors were designed by Italian firms Nauta Design and FM Architettura, with subtle Asian influences, floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass elevator among its luxury features.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 88.38-metre superyacht Zen, valued at an estimated $340 million, moored at Silo Marina on Auckland\u2019s waterfront. Photo \/ Sylvie Whinray<\/p>\n

Powered by two 16-cylinder diesel engines producing more than 6000 horsepower combined, Zen can reach speeds of up to 17 knots (31km\/h).<\/p>\n

Vessel-tracking records show Zen travelled to Auckland from Port Vila, Vanuatu, earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Its appearance follows the recent visit of Koru<\/a>, the 127m sailing superyacht owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.<\/p>\n

The three-masted yacht, which sailed into Auckland on September 29, is reportedly worth US$500 million ($800m).<\/p>\n

\"AmazonAmazon billionaire Jeff Bezos\u2019 127-metre sailing superyacht Koru, reportedly worth $800 million, moored on Auckland\u2019s waterfront. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n

Both Zen and Koru fly the red ensign of the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean and a popular registration jurisdiction for luxury superyachts.<\/p>\n

Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Leonardo DiCaprio and Katy Perry are among the high-profile guests previously reported or photographed aboard Koru.<\/p>\n

Bezos gave the yacht its M\u0101ori name in 2023<\/a>, drawing inspiration from the koru, an unfurling silver fern frond symbolising new beginnings and renewal.<\/p>\n

M\u0101ori cultural experts welcomed the choice, with Dame Naida Glavish telling the Herald the koru represented continuity, with \u201cno beginning and no end\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"JeffJeff Bezos’ yacht Koru, visiting Auckland. Photo \/ Trevor Coppock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It can accommodate up to 16 guests in eight cabins, with accommodation for a crew of 25. Its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627590,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[103576,95,9526,51,11346,138,4444,266447,308050,20589,78,296,22259,7055,206,46671,1132,111,139,69,9636,57326,1961,2044,61,35146,308049,308048],"class_list":["post-627589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-103576","tag-and","tag-another","tag-auckland","tag-billionaires","tag-business","tag-chinese","tag-glided","tag-guangming","tag-harbour","tag-in","tag-into","tag-jack","tag-linked","tag-luxury","tag-ma","tag-million","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-spotted","tag-superyacht","tag-this","tag-time","tag-to","tag-vessel","tag-wu","tag-zen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}