A two-storey building weighing about 150 tonne has been towed into Tauranga Harbour this morning.

The former base of operations for yacht syndicate Alinghi - during the 2003 America's Cup in Auckland - has been slated for demolition, which will be carried out at the Port of Tauranga.

The floating building being towed past the Bridge Marina. Photos and interview: Tracy Hardy.

A sneak peak inside the floating structure.

Kurutai skipper Bill Wii says the tugboat and its cargo left Auckland yesterday afternoon, with the journey taking roughly 20 hours to complete.

'We travelled at a little over six knots, there was a metre easterly swell part of the way but the weather was like glass for the rest of the journey,” he says.

'We've been planning the job for a week and had plenty of other jobs to do, but we slipped this one because the weather was nice, which was necessary to carry the job out.”

Having worked on tugboats since the age of 16, this isn't Bill's first rodeo.

'Whatever needs to be dragged across the ocean I've had a go at it. But the worst and most challenging I reckons would be old ships that nobody wants.

'This one was different, the Kurutai needed assistance to make it work because if you're tied up alongside the barrage you couldn't see where you're going,” says Bill.

Once the building is removed and demolished the barge will be put back to work.

Bill and his crew will pack up the Kurutai and head south to Dunedin tomorrow, where they'll be working for the next nine months.

Kurutai skipper Bill Wii.