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 Dive Sites Hauraki Gulf is a huge bay with Auckland at its southwest side, the Coromandel peninsula on its eastern side, and the Whangaparaoa and Matakana peninsulas on the west. Close to Auckland the visibility is relatively poor. Having said that, the water at Devonport pier looked as clear as many places we'd dive in the UK. The best diving is around the islands near the mouth of the gulf 40 miles or more by sea from Auckland city; Little Barrier, Great Barrier, the Mokohinau group, the Hen and Chickens group, and various outlying rocks and pinnacles. No dive boats run out of Auckland: they depart from Leigh, about an hour's drive north. Or you can shore dive. 
We booked two days diving on Divercity, a well laid-out 14m catamaran with a novel submersible diving platform and a decent skipper, through Dive Centre Ltd Website in Auckland. The boat doesn't carry tanks and weights, so we rented them from Goat Island Dive Website. The total cost for boat and equipment hire worked out around £50 per day each. We stayed in a caravan at Goat Island Camping Website, which apart from being situated in a nice location and close to where the boats go from, I couldn't recommend. The caravan and site facilities were dirty, overpriced and poorly equipped. But we did get into a memorable, slightly drunken, game of charades with a nice NZ family who felt the same as we did about the caravan site. 
Little Barrier Island - Little Barrier Island is about 3 miles in diameter surrounded by gently shelving kelp-covered reefs, with some steeper parts, mainly on the northeast side. It lies about 10 miles out from Leigh and is a protected nature reserve. This was a midweek dive. The other divers were a group of Maori doing a PADI OW course and their instructor, and a trio of unaccompanied beginners. Their needs, and a northeasterly wind and swell, restricted us to diving the west side. Diving takes place from an anchored boat, so you have to navigate your way back. Not our favourite style of diving, but the skipper explained that he gets lots of undisciplined divers who would swim long distances in whatever direction took their fancy if he didn't anchor up, making recovering them all a nightmare. The trio made his point by losing each other underwater, continuing their individual dives, then having a long surface swim back to the boat. One had to be picked up by Divercity's tender. The Maori and their instructor were a great bunch, full of fun. After the second dive I was cleaning some scallops, keeping the white meat and throwing the rest away. The Maori lads were horrified by this waste and queued up to take the shells full of remains and slurp down the contents with gusto.* Lion Rock - 19m, a bouldery reef covered in kelp eventually running out onto silty sand. We saw a nice eagle ray, and blue maomao above the kelp. Probably good for crayfish hunters (though we didn't see any), but rather monotonous otherwise. * 500m S of Lion Rock - 14m, a more interesting site at the edge of a reef about 4m high. There were cracks, swimthroughs, and a fair amount of encrusting life on the rocks; and scallops and a beautiful 3m stingray on the sand. Mokohinau Islands - This group of tiny islands are the most remote in the Hauraki Gulf, lying about 25 miles NE of Leigh. They are all protected nature reserves where landing is prohibited. The diving is reputed to be good, with clear water, steep walls, rich encrusting life, and schools of pelagic fish. We had booked a weekend trip on Divercity, but unfortunately an oil pump failed and the trip was cancelled. Goat Island Marine Reserve - is a popular shore dive close to Leigh. There are toilets and changing rooms; a detailed map showing the various underwater habitats from which you can plan your dive; and a convenient drop-off and loading point close to the water so you don't need to lug your gear from the car park. We had a short, shallow dive there after the Little Barrier trip to use up the air left in our tanks. Due to the NE winds it was quite surgy and stirred up with only 2-3 metre visibility. Despite this it was a worthwhile dive, with astonishing numbers of large snapper completely unafraid of divers. Snapper are excellent eating, and are consequently heavily fished and a fairly rare sight elsewhere: it shows how effective the reserve is in preserving stocks. In calm weather the reserve must be a very nice dive indeed. Other Hauraki Gulf sites - Great Barrier island is said to have some good diving, and has a couple of wrecks. It's a big island, 20 miles long, with plenty of accommodation, but I don't think there's a dive centre there. Most trips seem to operate out of Leigh. Sail Rock, and the Hen and Chickens are also said to have good diving. Boat trips leave from Leigh and from Whangerei. There are other diveable islands closer inshore - Kawau, Rangitoto, and Waiheke are the largest - but the visibility is said to be less good (we've been to Waiheke though not to dive. It's a nice place but the water looked quite murky). 
There are several beaches between the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and Leigh where shore diving is possible, generally over a gently shelving bottom with rocky outcrops. At Tawharanui Marine Park, near Matakana about 5 miles south of Leigh, you can park right next to the beach. We saw people diving here, but didn't try it ourselves. Being a reserve, the fish and crustacean life should be better than average; and it seemed a less crowded spot than nearby Goat Island Reserve.The Hauraki Gulf is an area that caters to weekending Aucklanders. There are nice beaches, wineries, interesting markets, and a fair amount of upmarket accommodation. The activities available tend toward the gentle rather than the adventurous. Verdict - Goat Island Marine Reserve is a nice shore dive, and I wouldn't rule out another shot at the Mokohinaus or similar if we could be confident of getting on the best sites - but one visit to Little Barrier was enough. 
The Northwest Coast - from Raglan northwards to Ninety Mile Beach has some wonderful beaches and great surfing, but very little by way of accessible diving. It isn't really shore diving country, and no boat trips were available during our stay. Subsequently I've seen occasional trips advertised to Gannet Rock, 12 miles off Raglan and boasting a large seal population, by Stirling's Dive Shop Website in Auckland.Poor Knights - We've used the biggest Poor Knights operator Dive!Tutukaka on two previous trips. They are very good, but the sheer number of holiday divers they attract and courses they run has led to disappointments. On two days when conditions were perfect we didn't get to the best sites because they weren't suitable for some of the others on the boat: fair enough, but a situation we'd rather avoid. So this time we tried Dive Poor Knights Website, which turned out to be just the job. The boat Crayzee Diver is fine, an 11 metre monohull with a very similar layout and comfort level to D!T's boats. There were only six people on board, Bruce the amiable skipper, Steve a laidback dive guide (optional), two Swedish girls only one of whom was a diver, and ourselves. 
There was too much swell to dive the Sugar Loaf, Number 1 on our Poor Knights to-do list, but we were pleased with the adventurous alternative Bruce suggested. The boat was kept mobile on the first dive, which we prefer. The boat did anchor up for the excellent second dive out and back through Blue MaoMao arch, but that was sensible given the sea conditions. It was a good day's diving in good company, and as a bonus significantly cheaper than D!T - saving enough to pay for a top-of-the-range bottle of NZ wine.
* Taravana Cave - 35m, a tunnel with no clear surface, penetrating about 130 metres into the island. The entrance is between 35 and 25m, and the tunnel narrows down as you go further in; but there is plenty of room to swim side by side. We were told of an alternative exit down a side passage about 60m in, but didn't reach that far before we had to turn round while we still had enough reserve gas in our ponies to make a safe exit if our main supply failed. There were shoals of fish outside the cave, and jewel anemones and sponges under the kelp at the top of the wall. An adventurous dive that needs to be taken seriously, and very refreshing to meet a dive operator who recognises clients that are up to it.
 * Blue MaoMao Arch - 14m, a world-class second dive with impressive rock architecture; swimthroughs rather like an inverted version of Cathedral Rock at St Abbs; multiple shoals of blue maomao, breeding desmoiselles, and snapper; and morays and scorpion fish in the cracks and crevices. Verdict - there is world-class diving at Poor Knights, and it merits repeated visits. We're glad we tried Dive Poor Knights and would use them again without hesitation.  Three Kings - In many ways the Three Kings are to NZ diving as St Kilda is to British diving. This is how they are described by Stirling's dive shop: "Of all the diving locations in New Zealand, the Three Kings Islands are often regarded as the best. Situated approximately 55 kilometres north west of the northern most tip of New Zealand's North Island, they provide an opportunity to experience New Zealand's marine environment at it's most raw and beautiful. Around the islands oceanic currents held apart for hundreds of kilometres meet each other and mix in a cauldron of concentrated marine life. Here the tides are unpredictable, the currents extreme and the sea conditions often unforgiving. Dive charters to the Three Kings are expensive and demanding of vessel, crew and divers. Most New Zealand divers never get there but for those that do, what must be some of the best temperate water diving on the planet awaits."  Following excellent trips on Frank Carre's small liveaboard Sandpiper Website in 2003 in Fiordland, and in 2005 around the Marlborough Sounds, we booked a 7 day trip to Three Kings. We were joined by our friend Chris Brough from Wellington, a former TSAC Website member; two NZ divers, Mike and Peter; and Frank with his son JP. The divers joined the boat in Houhoura, a sheltered harbour on the east coast about 25 miles south of North Cape. It wasn't cheap, costing about the same as an all-in week on a Sharm liveaboard, but then Three Kings is a special place, difficult to get to: Sandpiper made a 1000 mile round trip from Picton for our charter, which was a one-off. There are other boats which will go there: they cater principally to the game fishing market and cost considerably more than Sandpiper.  The islands that make up Three Kings form a chain about 8 miles long and range in size from Great Island, a mile and a half across and 300m high, to small stacks and breaking reefs. The tide runs at up to 4 knots through the main channels between the islands. It's no place to get swept away: the nearest land is Australia 1000 miles to the west and South America 6000 miles to the east. Three Kings is sacred to the Maori: tradition has it that the spirits of the dead leave the earth here. There is no habitation, and landing is forbidden. There is only one anchorage, in an open bay on the north side of Great Island. The tide runs into the bay: be careful if night diving from an anchored boat. We were very lucky with the weather: February is cyclone season in the south Pacific; Three Kings could become unpleasant in the swell from a cyclone even thousands of miles away. As it was the swell was only 2m or so on the crossing from North Cape, falling to 1m or less over the following days. Winds were light during our 4 day stay, picking up to 25 knots southwesterly only after we had safely reached the shelter of the mainland. There are no guidebooks to Three Kings; in fact they are almost undived, so on most of your dives you are pioneering. Perhaps the most striking feature of the dives is the amount and size of the fish you see. Mike, one of the NZ divers, was a keen fisherman. His first cast on arrival at the Kings produced a 1.5m shark, immediately followed by a large barracuda, then another large fish. The following morning he hooked a huge stingray, which was too big to land on the boat; and during the week he caught several kingfish up to 40kg (kingfish are a predator similar to tuna). Crayfish were abundant. 
* Great Island NW - 28m, a bay with clear blue water, a gently shelving rocky bottom thickly covered with kelp, many fish including cruising kingfish* Great Island SW - 30m, a large bay beneath a steep wall, with a steeply shelving rocky bottom. Plenty of encrusting life, fish, and crustaceans. * Princes Islands N - 35m, a very steep slab dropping into a flat sandy gully, with a steep reef rising to 20m on the other side. Excellent visibility, profuse fish and encrusting life. * SS Elingamite - 37m, the Elingamite was a 2500 ton passenger steamer which hit the end of West Island in fog in 1902. She sank with the loss of 45 lives. She was carrying a consignment of coins, including 6000 gold sovereigns, not all of which have been recovered. The wreck lies in an extremely exposed and tide-swept position at the foot of a gully on the west-most point of Three Kings. The wreckage is so completely smashed and covered in sponge as to be almost unrecognisable. There is beautiful life on the gully wall to the north, and many fish including eagle rays. 
* Southwest Island, cave on W side - 20m, a lovely cavern (with a clear surface). Swelly at the entrance but calm further in, with many fish including a school of pink maomao, and a family of crayfish in a cave at the back.* Northeast Island W - 45m, an excellent wall and slabs dropping into about 50m. A big surge on the slabs above 20m, but many colourful sponges in holes under the kelp. Big shoals of pink maomao at depth. * Princes Islands, cave at S end of E-most island - 20m, nice underwater scenery, prolific sponge and other life in cracks near the cave entrance, many fish outside, followed by a drift under DSMB in a very turbulent current in the channel east of the island. Verdict - Three Kings is a wonderful place with some fantastic diving. We are lucky to have been there, and would recommend Sandpiper. To enjoy this trip you need to be familiar with living on boats and you need to have a high level of diving skills. 
The Far North - After a forecast of deteriorating weather forced Sandpiper back from the Three Kings, we spent a couple of days diving along the north and northeast coasts of North Island as we made our way back to Houhoura. Apart from Cape Reinga, where the only road ends, few people see this beautiful part of NZ's coastline. There are steep cliffs, wind-swept beaches, and extensive areas of native bush. The diving is mainly on low reefs lying in 10-20m on a gently shelving sand and shingle seabed. The visibility was about 10m, and the dives were much-of-a-muchness. * Cape Reinga E side - 14m, low reef and sand. Many bait fish, plus a school of kingfish patrolling round throughout the dive. * Hooper Point, W of Tom Bowling Bay - 14m, similar to Cape Reinga, plus one or two crayfish * Surville Cliffs just W of North Cape - 19m, latitude 34° 23īS the most northerly point of New Zealand. Similar to Hooper Point * Cape Karikari N side - 22m, steeper ground than the previous three dives, with large clean rocks fallen from the cliffs close in, and weed covered reef further out. Stingrays and eagle rays resting amongst the rocks, morays in the cracks, and snapper amongst the fish life. 
Wellington - We stayed with Chris and his family for a few days at their home near Wellington. In November 2005 HMNZS Wellington, F69, had been sunk as a diving attraction, in a blaze of Scylla-style publicity. Although none of us are very keen on diving 'fake' wrecks, Chris reckoned it was worth a look for novelty value alone, and had booked us on a Splash Gordon Website Saturday morning charter. On the Thursday the dive shop rang to say the dive was cancelled due to a bad weather forecast. On Friday a southerly gale began and the heavens opened. Ferry sailings across the Cook Strait were cancelled: the last boat to make it took 8 hours instead of the normal 3, arriving with 4 injured passengers, and several vehicles damaged after breaking loose on the car deck. Sailings didn't resume until Saturday afternoon when the storm had abated. On Monday the local paper carried a report of debris washed up near the wreck site. The project leader said it was just loose material, and this had been expected. By the end of the week, it had been discovered that the wreck had broken into 3 pieces. The wreck lies in about 25m of water in a very exposed position: over a 50 degree arc there's no land between it and Antarctica 2000 miles away. It will probably be flattened by the end of the winter.
Summary
Rarotonga remains a great place for a stopover. It can provide entertaining diving even in bad weather. NZ is as good as ever if you enjoy the outdoors. Although the exchange rate is improving for Brits, and overall it's still a cheap place to holiday, diving in NZ seems to be getting more expensive. There is decent, accessible diving to be had around the Hauraki Gulf, but this trip has reconfirmed that for the casual diver-tourist the big three - Poor Knights, White Island, Fiordland - remain the must-do dive spots. Three Kings is a wonderful place for hardened divers, if you can find a trip. As ever, go to NZ for as long as you can, do non-diving stuff as well, and don't try to cram so much in that travelling overshadows doing. Richard Scarsbrook - BSAC First Class Diver/Advanced Instructor, RYA Coastal Skipper Jen Scarsbrook - BSAC Advanced Diver/Advanced Instructor Return to New Zealand main page | ||||
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New Zealand and Rarotonga Update 2006 - The Three Kings and More 
Once again we dived with The Dive Centre Rarotonga 
* Rutaki Passage - a gentle drift at a knot or so out through a narrow passage in the reef with overhanging walls rising from 20m to the surface.