Wreck Diving in New Zealand

On the seafloor off the Tutukaka Coast are the remains of the HMSNZ Tui and Waikato, two purpose-sunk vessels that are magnets for divers and sea life alike. This one-day tour gives you backstage access to both of these awesome wrecks!

Located just 2 miles off New Zealand’s Tutukaka Coast, are the wrecks of the HMSNZ Tui and Waikato. Here you will find sub-tropical and temperate plant and animal life, including soft corals, encrusting sponges, ecklonia kelp forests and over 125 species of fish! These myriad life forms inhabit an underwater wonderland of caves, tunnels and wrecks like the Tui and Waikato, making for some truly unique dive expeditions!

This one-day wreck diving tour is Poor Knights adventure! The day begins at 8:30am with an onshore briefing, then you’ll get kitted up and board your vessel – a custom-made, high-speed wreck diving boat. First stop is the HMSNZ Tui, a former hydrographic research vessel lying in 32 metres of water. Like the HMSNZ Waikato, which you’ll explore after a surface interval back on shore, the Tui has been carefully prepared for adventure diving, with purpose cut access and exit points allowing exploration of all the major features, from guns and bridges to cabins and engine rooms! And when you’re not staring in awe at a giant propeller or some tombstone-like turret, you might notice the astonishing array of sea life about the place: rays, groupers and rainbow fish are among the vessels’ countless new inhabitants!

This is a one-of-a-kind wreck tour, featuring the only purpose-sunk frigate in the Southern Hemisphere alongside an extraordinary abundance of aquatic biodiversity. In order to explore these wrecks, though, you need a fair amount of diving experience (35 logged dives for the Tui, 15 for the Waikato). It’s also essential that you’ve dived within the last six months. If you haven’t got quite another experience fear not: you can still explore the Waikato on a special instructor-led tour, which counts towards advanced certification).