The Beast weighs anchor
A small seaside town has farewelled a larger-than-life guest, but its biggest fan missed out on a final goodbye.
Thousands lined the Manawatu¯ River at Foxton Beach to bid adieu to The Beast, a massive catamaran which has called the Foxton wharf home since January.
Built in Palmerston North by Profab Engineering, the 40-metre-long and 12-metre-wide catamaran is the property of jewellery tycoon Sir Michael Hill.
While almost every man, woman, child and their dog in Foxton crowded the wharf, riverbank and beach to see The Beast sail off, Hill was not spotted among the crowds.
Neither was 3-year-old Foxton boy Kael Rodie, who has been fascinated with the catamaran since it arrived.
His mother Veronique Read said he had a daily routine of seeing the boat, even watching it get launched into the water through a webcam mounted on the Manawatu¯ Marine Boating Club while he was at daycare.
Read said Kael saw the boat on Saturday but was not able to watch it go to sea because the family had to be in Palmerston North before it left at 11.40am.
‘‘He was OK,’’ Read said. ‘‘I got him an icecream from a truck and that cheered him up.’’
Many people spent the time before the catamaran left by swimming, surfcasting, or lazing around with a few cold beverages.
Smaller boats and jet skis, including a coastguard boat, flanked The Beast as it made its way up the river.
The Beast was expected to travel to Wellington for some finishing touches, before heading to Auckland.