It has a huge population of fish of all sizes, colors, and shapes that can be easily spotted from the surface. An education center on the shores is a great place to spend an hour learning more about these fascinating sea animals. For more information see our privacy and information policy. And I've had a great time filming outside the western end of the arch where you can see large kingies, stingrays and huge snapper. It's also a great time to. From the waters of Mokohinaus to Great Barrier Island, Poor Knights, Bay of Islands Islands and many, many more. Innovision Boats 2021 Featuring the IV707 Explorer, Fly Fishing for Big Browns in South Island New Zealand, Testing the Scott Centric #5 and #6 weight rods on big South Island Browns, Soft baiting from the rocks - tips and techniques, Motiti Protected Fishing Areas from 11 August 2021, Buccaneer Boats Factory and Woodbine Marine, How to set up the perfect nymph indicator, Soft baiting for monster trout in the South Island. He stars in season two of Our Big Blue Backyard, premiering tonight at 7.30pm on TVNZ 1. The Island Bay Snorkel Trail is a great way to explore the area and learn about the marine life in the reserve. Urban List acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work, live and play. We use cookies (om nom nom nom) to provide a better online experience, including to serve targeted ads. This made us all sad for the ocean and the kai Moana. Who knows? Stayed at Shakespear regional park and walked through the park to Army bay, nice beach with not too many people around. It usually lies on the common boundary of adjoining pieces of land, though it can lie mainly, How many different approaches are there to springboard diving? In Canterbury? What does Kina taste like? Previous Next Why choose a Auckland Diving Club? This is a great beach on the north side of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, at the end of the road Beautiful views. Fish this on an out-going tide a lot of fish come out of that river. Alphabet Bay on the north-west side of the island has good kelp forests and fish life. Take a look at the best places to go scuba diving in New Zealand to satisfy the thrill-seeker within you on your next holiday! Watch you dont get cut off in here as the tide comes right into the cliffs in places. This snorkeling platform may be accessed by crossing a lovely stretch of white sand beach. The other terrific snorkel spot in the region is the Tonga Island Marine Reserve in the Abel Tasman National Park, which has stunningly clear waters. This reserve is easy to access and is replete with marine life and varied habitats. Compare & customize quotes before booking. If you are looking for a diving course in Auckland, browse our range of recreational, technical and professional scuba diving courses. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Just inside the harbour on the southern side are three points: Tungutu Point (best reached from Otarawao or Sullivan's Bay), and Opahi Point and Opaheke Point, which are both left and right of the Opahi Bay boat ramp. From this point you can walk around Whangaparaoa head to Army Bay, but its a long walk (3-4 hours). Check out our dive trip schedule for our list of trips and learn about the destination, date, meeting point, time and cost. They are usually harvested when there is a very low tide. We say goodbye to the team and head back to our Whangarei accommodation, Bunkdown Lodge, where we mingle with readers of our website (always a nice feeling to know someone read us once), people weve bumped into previously on the trip, and new people! You will get to see rock lobsters, octopus, anemones, seahorses, and starfish in hundreds, literally! Get amongst the shark cage adventure where you can snorkeling alongside sharks from the safety of a submerged cage. Easy parking for large vehicles. Kiwi Scuba Divers offer some of the best scuba diving in Auckland and across New Zealand. $(e.target).closest('a').length) { You will absolutely love swimming in. Even if you arent a great fan of the Hobbits series, youll know that New Zealand is one of the worlds most incredibly scenic and beautiful countries. Your better bet will be to go into the Shakespeare reserve through the animal proof fence and head down to the beach there - lots of open spaces with grass - toilets and a long shallow beach with safe swimming - it does get busy weekends as it is popular with groups of local folk - better bet than Army Bay which I found a little bleak, Army Bay Beach, Whangaparaoa: Address, Army Bay Beach Reviews: 4.5/5, This is a great beach on the north side of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, at the end of the road (before the. One goes in and a couple more slowly make their way down the rocks to follow. There are quite a few offshore rocks and reefs that will need a good cast to get to, but there are also numerous gutters and sandy spots right through to under Clifton Road that have given up some very big snapper with evening fishing. Divers will see pua, opal shells, blue and red moki, butterfish, marblefish and plenty of crayfish. The fish life on top of the reef is glorious as well if you get the tides right. It was pretty busy and hardly any parks. In Fiordland a fresh water layer sits on top of the sea water and makes the diving gloomy - but also allows you to encounter bizarre creatures that usually live hundreds of metres below sea level. You will be redirected to your dashboard shortly. Parore and other fishes usually school around the mangrove trees. Youll only need one, and hey presto:big snapper. Plenty of off street parking and quite a few families picnicking. Nested in the southern harbour of the Poor Knights islands, this site offers clouds of fish - especially the blue maomao that give the arch its name. New Zealand has more than 15,000 km of beautiful coastline, making it a popular place to spend time on a boat. Chance of snapper here at low incoming tide; best with piper or live bait. The best time to visit New Zealand depends on what are your interests. Expect to also see gorgonian fans, corals and sponges as well as large snapper and other fish that have been left alone to grow and age. You may need the tide to drop a bit before you can get around the rocks, but this little piece of coast can fish very well with deeper water not too far out. Over a lifetime of diving around New Zealand for work and for play, there are a few places that stand out. The waters around Southland are well known for being a great habitat for great white sharks, but don't let that put you off from snorkelling and freediving around Rakiura. Swimming slowly enough, we find ourselves among the school ourselves fish so close we could touch them (but we dont. Camouflaged against the sand are flounder and there are lots sea shells like cockles and whelks. var slider = !window.jQuery ? A thorough understanding of tides and currents and how they behave in this particular spot is recommended. as it is one of the best places to snorkel in New Zealand. Kina can be found around the coast of the North Island, South Island and Chatham Islands; virtually every part of NZ's rocky coastline with a food source. From the little ramp you can go right to Army Bay or left to Coal Mine Bay; there are good shelves, gutters and points both ways. . el.before(cloned); Steve tells us more about these fascinating islands, the geology, the cultural history, and what makes this place one of the top diving locations in New Zealand! Finally we can tell you that we saw the following: clown nudibranch, snapper, kina urchin, black spiny urchin, scorpionfish, blue maomao, black angelfish, red pigfish, red moki, strangers wrasse, grey moray (eel), leatherjacket, demoiselle, elegant wrasse and New Zealand fur seal! Kina Scollay in front of White Island. Get our top stories direct to your inbox. ADCT was created in 2009 as a collaboration between Diving Waitakere (DW) and North Harbour Diving (NHD) clubs in order to maximise opportunities, resources and talent to the benefit of both clubs and enhance diving in Auckland generally. This is a great beach on the north side of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, at the end of the road (before the military zone) and close to Shakespeare Regional Park. It's best when there is little swell, it is quite shallow (5-10m) so it's best to have calmer conditions so you're less affected by surge. Check out the best places to kayak, paddle board and learn to surf around auckland. var el = $(this); Wonderful Goa Family Package 3D/2N @ Rs 6,500, Riveting Rajasthan Vacation 3D/2N Package @ Rs 6,499, Enchanting Uttarakhand Tour 4D/3N Package @ Rs 7,199. Though there is seaweed in the waters, it is confined to a narrow band and makes it easy to see turban shells and kina on the very bottom. Beautiful views. }); Aussie slang is not the only thing that astounds tourists. Each part of the country has a unique marine ecosystem with more snorkel and dive spots than most of us land-dwellers realise. The wall drops to sand where it is dotted with rocks covered with sponges, kelp and heaps of goatfish. Just a fifteen-minute drive east of Matakana, youll find Tawharanui marine reserve. Post Options Post Reply Quote SpearHori Report Post Find your way to Goat Island. Kina Scollay filming Our Big Blue Backyard. Paragliding In New Zealand: 5 Best Places That Let You Soar High, 15 Haunted Places In New Zealand Thatll Give You Shivers, 15 Lakes In New Zealand Thatll Make You Believe In Heaven, 14 Scrumptious New Zealand Cuisine One Must Devour On Their Trip, 15 Waterfalls In New Zealand Thatll Leave You Speechless, 10 Best Places For New Zealand Water Sports That All Adventure Junkies Must Try, holiday in New Zealand with TravelTriangle, Listen to the instructions of the trainers carefully and follow them, Get yourself medically checked before you try snorkeling and discuss your queries with the instructor. Lermontov Wreck. We squeeze into nice thick wetsuits, an underlayer with a hood, sockies and fins. In addition, we organise and escort dive trips to overseas destinations such as Fiji and the Solomon Islands. Haines Hunter SF485 Sport Fisher walkaround, Stewart Island with Josh James - Kiwi Bushman, Catching BIG snapper on softbaits: SIMRAD Sessions, Kingfish on livebaits - Moocher Hunters NZ, New Suzuki Partnership for the Moocher Hunters Team, Pro tips: How to catch more fish with soft baits, Pocket Maps - NZ Walking Access to trout rivers. If the wind is northerly it can cold and exposed, but when its blowing westerly, its a perfect spot. If you can, take berley. Well, it doesnt feel quite so winterless when we are scraping ice off our windshield this morning. animation:'slide', Seal swimming it is! Simrad Sessions: Adventure fishing in the mighty Doubtful Sounds, Epic spearfishing & exploring New Zealand coastline: Part 2, EPIC Solo spearfishing and freediving dive trip NZ part 1. Abundant. Piper seems to be an excellent bait all alongthis coast. WIN THIS AWESOME Boat, Motor, Ute Package! Just dont get carried away, 2-3 weeks ago we got our scallop quita In about 5 minutes. When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site. Cast while facing Orewa Beach and you may be surprised just how well you do. What does a medical technician do in the Canadian Armed Forces? Air, nitrox and trimix fills, full scuba equipment and cylinder servicing are available from our dive shop as well as a range of expert help and advice on the best spots for diving in New Zealand. We have two clubs within our program, Diving Waitakere and North Harbour Diving. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. The Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) marine reserve was established in 1993 and was the first in the region to be established. $(this).remove(); All kinds of fish gently swim in the shelter of the arch fish usually found at greater depth. The clarity of the water is amazing! $$ - $$$ Cafe New Zealand Vegetarian Friendly, $$ - $$$ Asian Thai Vegetarian Friendly, This is a great beach on the north side of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, at the end of the road (before the military zone) and close to Shakespeare Regional Park. Te Whanganui O Hei marine reserve is a pristine nine square kilometres off the coast of Cathedral Cove, with impressive volcanic rocks and formations. The Kaikura pua fishery, between Marfells Beach/Cape Campbell and the Conway River will reopen for 3 months from 1 December 2021 to 28 February 2022. Invertebrate life is good with plenty of crabs, sea stars and kina or sea urchins plus the occasional octopus. layer.css('cursor', 'pointer').on('click', function(e) { On 28 November 2022, recreational rules for hpuku/bass changed for the Auckland (West) and Auckland (East), Central and Challenger fishing areas. Three day's fishing off the rocks trying to get something to eat and hoping to do battle with some big King Fish. Boats can be launched at Leigh Harbour. Why wouldnt you? Schools of large silver drummer, blue maomao, big snapper and occasional blue moki are regularly seen. Our divers come from varied backgrounds including gymnastics, cheer-leading, rugby players, kids who enjoy jumping off wharfs/pool sides and those that just love to be in the water. What attractions are near Army Bay Beach? Use big floating baits at dusk. It's also a great time to connect with the moana (the ocean) and explore the abundant seabed.I head upto the Whangaparaoa Pennisula just north of Auckland to meet up with a cousin and a friend and go hunting for the infamous Kiwi Kina (sea urchin). Welcome/Kia Ora! Although the Poor Knights Islands are meant to feature world-class diving beneath the surface, the scenery above the surface is pretty awesome too. Snorkel your way through the Blue Mao Mao Arch to be welcomed by huge schools of the Blue Mao Mao swimming merrily. So, plan a holiday in New Zealand with TravelTriangle and go snorkeling! Those rocking snorkelling gear can explore the rocks close to the shore, while divers can drop onto the reefs further out with depth ranges of up to 25 metres. Although our time diving has come to an end, our time exploring the Poor Knights still has far to go! Cook Strait is not to be trifled with. Contact Kiwi Scuba Divers today or drop by the shop and see us for your diving requirements. However, because of waters in the Milford Sound being so dark because of the high mountains blocking the light and the amount of rainfall that drains into the fiords, the corals grow at much shallower depths. We board the catamaran vessel, Bright Arrow, meeting the skipper, Steve, and a dive photographer, Dave from Liquid Action Films. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in New Zealand. The littlies will enjoy exploring the rock pools here. Head south from the beach back toward Hatfields. Among the kelp forest, Sophie clear the kelp to reveal a crazy-looking brown fish with great googly eyes, a scorpionfish. We drive from Whangarei to the Tutukaka Marina this morning and park up outside a cave. Media Brand Of The Year 2021 and proudly independent. Hi, Its hard to believe this getaway is just a 45-minute trip away from the hustle and bustle of Aucklands CBD. This phenomenal dive is hard to beat anywhere in New Zealand. 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