Speechless - we are both speechless. Today we drove to the coastal town of Tutukaka (yes, this is actually the name of the town!) to dive Poor Knights Island - rated by Jacques Cousteau as one of the top ten dive sites in the world - unique due to isolation from the mainland and converging currents that create a micro-climate. We had to leave Paihia early. Never knew how beautiful fog was during sunrise - a vibrant red, orange. Sensational. As if the landscape of Northland New Zealand wasn't stunning enough. Upon arrival to the shop, our dive master and skipper fitted us in more gear than either of us had ever worn in preparation for the winter water. Layers upon layers of wet suit. It was an hour ride by boat to get to the islands.
Our first dive was at a site called Hope Point. It was a challenging descent - strong surge. Well, strong for us. Had to use the kelp along the island wall to help keep our position. Along the wall we were exposed to a lot of eel and nudie branches but it was the underwater caves that blew our mind. The fish, thousands of them - blue maomao and demoiseles - huddled together under the lip of the cave covering the walls completely. Steve, our dive master, brought us into two separate air pockets in which we could remove our regulator and breathe - 24 feet underwater and breathing! Surreal, and bizarre!
On the surface, we had to strip off everything. Too cold to wear between dives. Amanda shook so hard she couldn't hold a cup of coffee without spilling. Didn't feel that cold, but the shivers were unmistakable. Hot soup was amazing. Got a lesson in making a good cup of Milo (NZ hot chocolate) - hysterical exchange between our skipper, crew hand and a fellow diver. Got a close up of seals baking on the rocks in the sun. Adorable creatures.
Our second dive was at Blue Maomao Arch - the actual site that caught Jacques Cousteaus attention. This was a magical place. Our first objective was the underwater arch. Oh what a place. Thousands of fish everywhere - blue maomao on one side and two spotted demoiselles on the other - swaying back and forth with the current. The fish here are accustom to divers and because Poor Knights is a protected Marine Reserve, they are not at risk of danger, aside from, of course, their natural predators. For this reason, the fish allow you to swim with them, sway with them - submerge in the middle of them, as if you were one of them. Once we'd crossed the arch, it felt as if we'd entered into another world. It was here that we saw our first sting ray - perfectly fitting if you ask us! Fortunately, we got to cross back through the arch to return to the boat. We never wanted to surface.
Took a 40 minute detour on our way home - in other words, got ourselves lost. Strangely enough, we didn't know we were lost until we'd found our way back so all was well! It was late before we returned to Paihia. Late in New Zealand is anytime after seven, by the way. Lucky for us, the only place open to eat was Frank's Bar & Grill because it was awesome! Carmelized sweet potatoe (what!), warm pumpkin chucks, bell peppers, carmelized onions, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds over greens - really?! Ridiculous! Not to mention the best string fries, ever! And huge, warm pineapple chuncks on a thin crust pizza. P.S. No sales tax on anything and no tipping is required - refusing to comply completely with the latter - doesn't feel right.
Note about driving on the other side of the car and the other side of the road, Amanda is doing better everyday! She is not confusing the wind shield wipers with the blinker as frequently and does not have to receive reassurance from Rick before every turn about which side of the road to be on!
Myth Confirmed: Diving Poor Knights was worth every penny!
Dive! Tutukaka
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