Snorkelling in the Poor Knights, Wonderland of the Northland Coast

- by Rosemary Neave, owner, Waihoihoi Lodge, Waipu

Perhaps you’ve heard that the Poor Knights Islands were one of the best dive spots in the world. I live less than 1.5 hours from Tutukaka, but I had never got around to going out there. It was one of those "one day I would love to go there" places.

Dive Tutukaka has created a new day trip called “The Perfect Day.” I had no trouble rounding up 10 friends who wanted to go on January 1st - a great way to start the new year.

Eleven am - such a civilised time to start a trip - lots of time to get there and have an espresso before climbing aboard. The Dive Tutukaka team were fantastic. We were welcomed, given snorkels and flippers and fitted with wetsuits during the 35-minute trip to the islands. Miraculously, they found a wetsuit to fit all of us - from the skinny 12 year old to the not so skinny 55 year olds.

The snorkelling at the Knights marine reserve is simply fantastic. And you don’t feel like you will see less than the divers because the sea life in the top 5 metres is probably the most prolific, and the light makes it the most colourful area. I could not believe how plentiful the fish were; thousands of them hugging the cliff. The highlight for me was snorkelling into caves and then turning around and seeing all the fish reflected in the light coming into the cave entrance. One circuit and it was out for a scrummy lunch…even before we were on the boat we were offered hot drinks to warm us up. A live camera feed showed us the sea life under the boat, so we were soon tempted back in for another dive and later a kayak around the cliffs.

Pulling up the anchor, we went for a trip around the islands. There is a tragic Maori history that unfolds around you, the dramatic cliffs and breathtaking scenery lend itself to the tale. Many of the plants and animals on this special sanctuary are unique to the island - the Poor Knights Lily, Tuatara, giant weta - all temptingly close, but protected as you are not allowed to land on the island. I am told they often see dolphins, but on New Year’s we saw the most amazing school of trevally feeding on the surface.

Dive Tutukaka has tours for serious divers, but this was just what we wanted - a trip to the islands for snorkelling and kayaking and sightseeing.

And I am definitely going to recommend it to guests staying at Waihoihoi Lodge as the perfect day out

2008 Update: Rosemary is now travelling so her wonderful lodge is closed - check out her stories on her Women Travel Blog

Getting there and where to stay

---Waipu, by the way, is just 2 hours drive from Auckland, and there are several Rainbow Tourism operators in the area. For the men, there’s Salty Dick’s campground and B&B, and for the pampered set there’s Bream Bay Lodge. It is worth a stopover on your way to the Bay of Islands or if you’re looking for an easy-going getaway weekend. Yes, there is great food and wine and coffee to be had in the village, not to mention great beachcombing.