Dive New Zealand

For the last two weeks of my stint down under I now have the opportunity to get some diving in. The dive centre I approached in Christchurch said they would contact me when dive trips were on, I heard nothing at all !!

However, things have changed slightly as I was transferred to our Tauranga office and started working there this morning having travelled to Auckland then onto Tauranga on Saturday evening.

Things in the North Island are far diffierent, the climate is far nicer and dive centres are actually open. On Saturday night, after arriving I went straight to the local dive centre about 300m away. A big white board outside providing information proclaimed the sea temperature were about 15 deg and the boat trip orgainised for Sunday morning was fully booked and opening hours on Sunday being 0730 - 1400hrs. With this in mind I got my lazy arse out of bed on Sunday morning arriving at the shop at 0730hrs prompt with the hope that someone cried off, got up late or otherwise blobbed and I may get a spot on the boat. Wishful thinking, I enquired about the possibilities of getting on the boat and was told everyone had already checked in and the boat was full. The next boat trip was to be on the Sunday 4 September with the possibility of diving White Island (conditions prevailing), not wanting to miss out I hastily booked on the trip.

My first day at the Tauranga office also came up trumps. They don't open on Saturdays !!!! Result.

I am now hastily trying to arrange some diving this Saturday at Poor Knights in the Northlands of NZ. A 5 hour drive from Tauranga so a cunning plan is unhatching: - leave Tauranga Friday night, grab a motel Friday night, a couple of dives at Poor Knights Saturday then head back to Auckland for Saturday night to meet a mate who is travelling up from Hamilton either Saturday night of Sunday morning. Might just try and get a dive on the Rainbow Warrior on Sunday morning if matie boy drives up Sunday !!

Lets hope at least one part of the plan becomes a reality..

Poor Knights is supposed to be an OK dive site !!! White Island is a volcanic island which is, apparently, teeming with life. Check them out on Google. Bring em on..

Whllst on diving related trips, anyone for Dotty at Christmas / New Year ?? Suggest Sat 31 Dec but open to other suggestions as this is New Years Eve !!

Laters ........

yep Poor nights is the place to be!!! hope you finally get in the water... Dotty sound's good for new year.

I have friends, Dave & Sue, in New Zealand who have a dive Centre in Kirikiri. North Island, contact them via FB or I can let you have their number.

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=100000015440868

You are 101% correct my little furry friend, the Poor Knights is the place to dive indeed. A dive site to be reckoned with on the world stage it is.

Dori, the drive up to Kerikeri is about 5 -6 hours from Tauranga and I am happy to drive thsi if someting positive comes up. I have emailed Sue and Dave (I found their website keridive.co.nz) to ask for more info and whether they do the Poor Knights. If I'm travelling that far north this is the dive site I want to do. Maybe you could drop a line ?? I need a couple of nights accommodation as well which appears to be the stumbling block..

At the moment I havn't had any replies from the dive centres up North !! It would appear noone wants to take money off me !!

Fingers crossed I get some replies before the weekend. I'm oing out to look at the other 5 dive centres in Tauranga now.

If you dont mind the Drive you could also try Paihia Dive, in Paihia, they are a PADI 5 star centre, they do trips out to the rainbow warrior as well as Poor Knights, i think?
http://www.divenz.com/

Dotty dotty dotty,

Let's try and get a few more this year, just you killa and me last year if I remember

Count me in

I remember after last year poor turnout I added a post for this year in January...... no exsuses for not having enough notice!

https://proscuba.forumotion.com/t1845-last-dive-of-2011#14021

Good to hear Dotty is already on the calender for Christmas / New Year.

I have just secured a place on the dive boat with Dive Tutukaka and will be diving the Poor Knights this Saturday.

Lisa, Sue came up trumps for me. I emailed her about diving up North with the emphasis on Poor Knights. She replied to my email and called me this evening to say they were doing the Rainbow Warrior and I was more than welcome to join them for the day. She also gave me the name of Tutukaka dive centre who operate charters to Poor KNights and offered to book me a place on their boat !! To top it all off she sent me a list of websites for accommodation in the area.

An absolute star. First class service even without a sale. If only the world had more people like Sue....

Accommodation is booked.. Dive boat booked.. Roll on Saturday..