Dive (and other things) New Zealand - Expensive but Fun!

by Fiona Boorer, 2005

If you think diving (or holidaying) is expensive in general, try paying for 5 people at a time! We recently spent a hectic month in New Zealand with a rapidly filling credit card. Personnel - myself, my husband Andy, our "children" (Chris, 19 and Cathy, 17) and a family friend (Bruce, 19). All qualified divers (even Cathy is a BSAC Advanced Diver). We also ski….

The "two bags of 32kg each" luggage allowance made it worth while (no, let's be honest here - essential) going through Los Angeles! We only had about 15kg to spare amongst us!

Apart from the diving, amongst us we sampled - skiing on Mount Ruapehu, white-water rafting (much bemusement when we all had drysuits - but it was worth it!!), quad biking, bungy jumping, jumping from the Sky Tower in Auckland, the Huka jet, luging and "zorbing" in Rotorua, sledging down sand-dunes up in Northland, and the more sedate pastimes of visiting Aquaria, Mud Pools and Geysers, swimming in Hot (and hottest) Pools, Maori Hangis (HAKA HAKA), glow-worm caves and Lord of the Rings sets (and a zoo to see kiwis, because you can't see the bl***y things else).

We also travelled along a road called the "Forgotten World Highway", with an expectation of meeting dinosaurs any time (it was that sort of landscape), non optional landslides, a suicidal goat and the best café in the world totally isolated in the middle of it (Kaieto café, address simply - midway Taumarunui to Stratford). We also sampled the local cuisine and just a little of the local fermented grape and grain (OK, I admit it, Andy and I were the ones who bought a whole crate of wine in Napier when others were buying a bottle [one bottle, what use is that???]). Interspersed with visits to our favourite shop the Warehouse!!



So, what did we dive? First up was an exhilarating zoom down the Waikato River at Taupo. We dived with Taupo Drift Diving Adventures (Casey on 0800 12 DIVE). I had to have the "want to dive" bit of the phone number forcibly explained to me by the teen brigade. The idea is you get in the river near the Taupo Bungy. You have to drift past it on the surface (I think they are worried about you coming across the bodies of unsuccessful jumpers…..) and then submerge. It's totally mad - a hurling mass of bodies going along! Casey really kept an eye on us, however. There are bits of smooth bottom where you can put your feet down and "ski", and rocks to zoom past and over, and trees (eeek)!). There are slow bits where you can get your breath back, and really fast bits! There are trout, and we found a toy from a well known burger chain that became our mascot for the rest of the trip.

We surfaced at the Hot Water springs, and despite the fact we all had drysuits, we really enjoyed the warmth. If you were in a wetsuit, I don't think you'd want to leave (experience from drift down river in Colorado!!). Much bemused hikers going by watching us. We then drifted down to the pick up point on the surface (and why don't you go back down? Because just downstream are the Huka falls, and you SERIOUSLY don't want to go down those by accident!!!!!). It was a real adrenaline rush!

Next up were 2 days up North. We had planned to dive out of Paihia, as that's where our accommodation was, but Dive Paihia had just changed hands and were building a new boat. So, we went a bit further down and did the Poor Knights again (we had done them before on our last trip 2 years previously) with Dive Tutukaka (0800 288 882, Website). A very professional organisation, with the reputation of having more boats than the NZ Navy!

Day one - they lied - a moderate 5 to 6 ft swell was rather more than that - waves from every direction, and more than 6 ft. Bruce and I "personfully" sat at the back and contemplated the horizon, whilst others, with more sea legs, laughed at us. The nice thing about the Poor Knights is there is always a lee side to dive on.

The first dive of the day was on a site called Crinoid Cliff. Viz a "poor 20m" (YAY!!) lots to see. Surprisingly, given name, lots of Crinoids!!! Stone Fish and the troops saw several moray eels, though we did not. The weather calmed down over lunch time, and the second dive was in Dutch cove. Seals on surface, though not underwater. Fish SOOOOO friendly, a Sandagger's wrasse let me stroke it and spent the whole dive close to us. Downside of dive a leaking octopus rig that they promised (and did !!!) to fix for me for next day's diving.

Day two, a much more benign day. Dive one on "Calypso Bay and the Magic Wall". Lots of Moray and nudibranch, lots of what they call Leatherjackets which look like triggerfish (but shoal). The Magic wall encrusted with tunicates etc, nice!! Dive two really special, inside Rikoriko cave. Supposedly where a damaged Japanese submarine spent several months repairing itself without being spotted (records from Japanese sources later) during the war, reputedly the largest sea cave in the world (no arguments from us on either count). Wonderful dive, looking into the blue and back into the cave. A HUGE crayfish, pair of rare Lord Howe Coral Fish. Bruce and Chris had fun as today they were let loose without a guide (but another poor Brit diver ended up with them - Andy, we are sorry!!!!!!). Back at base to stamp up dives, and one of our favourite bits - Chris is allowed to drive the MPV so we can have a nice bevvy in the bar before he drives back!!!!!


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