Breathtaking

The skipper demonstrating use of the sea sick bags.



3 February 2011



They promised a perfect day, and they certainly delivered. Beautiful weather, calm seas, clear water and stunning scenery.

As we headed out to the Poor Knights Islands (about a 50 minute boat trip), we circled and played with a pod of dolphins. The closer we got to the islands, the more wildlife we saw; the islands are a full nature reserve - no-one is allowed to land at all, there is no fishing within 800m and the commercial fishermen have to stay even further away.






Fun to watch but always hard to photograph.

  We anchored in South Harbour, right by Blue Maumau Arch. This was our playground for the next few hours. There was snorkelling equipment, kayaks and paddle boards on board. The crew were incredibly friendly and helpful - one even went into the water with a client who was nervous about swimming. She took her right through the arch on a flotation noodle.


Approaching Blue Maumau Arch. You can see scuba
divers' bubbles behind the other boat.



Dropping the anchor from a dinghy causes less damage.

The snorkelling was magical. Lots of sealife, from sponges and kina, through hundreds of two-spot demoiselles and wrasse, to the eponymous blue maumau, trevally and plenty of great big snapper. The water was superbly clear and we rated the underwater scenery as better than Tahiti. The other highly rated scenery was the boatload of professional rugby players (Auckland Blues) which anchored next to us.



I can safely say I have now tried paddle boarding and got it out of my system. I think I'll stick to kayaks from now on. I was okay kneeling on the board, but very wobbly once I got to my feet.

This makes me look much better co-ordinated than
I actually was.



After all our fun in the water and some lunch, it was time to move on.  Because the sea was so calm, we were able to go through a couple of arches in the boat, and nose into a sea cave which is well-lit by an air shaft. We then went right round one of the islands.

Beautiful colours at an arch entrance.

The vertical shaft at the rear of this cave lets in
lots of natural light.

There was a waterfall off one of the cliffs. This is unusual as there is no natural water source, so it was the remnants of the storm a few days before. When a Maori tribe lived on the islands, they had to dam the runoff to get water. The islands have been uninhabited (and tapu) since the 1820s, when the local Maori were massacred by a raiding tribe.

The valley where the Maori lived and had their dams.
The bodies of those killed in the raid were laid to rest in
caves in the cliffs behind.

Then it was off to the largest sea cave, by volume, in the world. Our 25m boat fit easily inside. With the motors off we could really appreciate the eerie feeling of being in a cave - and the echoes from a long blast on the airhorns. After that, because it was such a beautiful day, we were also treated by a trip around the nearby Pinnacles, which is a gannet nesting site. 




Looking out from the largest sea cave in the world.

   We returned to Tutukaka (and a couple of well-earned beers), before driving back to Pataua South, where there were still toilets waiting to be cleaned.

The trip was a real treat, run by very friendly, informed and professional folk - highly recommended to all.

What a day!