BAY OF ISLANDS - A SUB-TROPICAL WONDERLAND
The Bay of Islands, which is between Cape Brett and the Purerua Peninsula and contains the boutique towns of Opua, Paihia, Russell, and Kerikeri, is a three-hour drive or 35-minute flight north of Auckland.
This location, which is known for being the birthplace of New Zealand, also provides a unique sub-tropical diving opportunity. This sub-tropical wonderland is a marine playground, with warm water all year. It's ideal for diving, snorkelling, boating, and kayaking, as well as visiting the sandy beaches, old forests, towering cliffs, and abundant marine life.
The Bay of Islands, located in New Zealand's "winterless north," has a moderate subtropical environment with mild winters and scorching summers, as well as excellent diving all year. Summer is the busiest season, but winter provides fantastic bargains on lodging, transportation, and activities.
Photo by Rod Long
Diving Experiences
New Zealand is an incredible diving destination. The underwater world is huge and diversified, with accessible beaches, marine reserves, and hundreds of offshore islands.
Several dive operations in the Bay of Islands' main cities of Paihia and Russell provide diving. Expect a one-of-a-kind adventure with underwater caverns, canyons, pinnacles, and tunnels teeming with a wide range of marine life, from small microscopic creatures and healthy corals to vivid subtropical fish, sharks, and even dolphins and whales on the route to dive locations. Because of its subtropical environment, divers may see a diverse range of species and ecosystems, including kelp forests and volcano reefs, as well as unusual seasonal species interactions. Large schools of blue maomao, massive pelagics like eagle rays, and one of the region's hallmark species, the gigantic short-tail stingray, may be seen in the summer from mid-December to mid-March. During the winter months, from mid-June to mid-September, visibility is generally excellent, and fur seals are frequently seen.
Photo by Subtle Cinematic
Paihia Dive
Paihia Dive is located in the Bay of Islands tourist resort of Paihia, where interesting urban attractions collide with natural paths and Maouri culture. The dive centre is one of the Bay of Islands' oldest diving operations. Staff that have been diving in the region for a long time have a lot of information and expertise in these waters. As a result, guests can expect an expert-led underwater experience that is complemented by world-class service.
HMNZS Canterbury diving
The world-famous wreckage of the HMNZS Canterbury is one of the Bay of Islands' primary attractions. The HMNZS Canterbury, a Royal New Zealand Navy frigate, was sunk as an artificial reef at Deep Water Cove, close off the Cape Brett Peninsula, in 2007. It is the only undamaged and upright wreck found off the coast of Northland. The encrusted wreck presently sits at a depth of 36 metres, with the top of its structure beginning at 12 metres, and is home to a diverse ecology of juvenile snapper, bait fish, bigeye, kingfish, and other species.