Poor Knights - Underwater Utopia

Unique in their own right for an abundance of flora, fauna, bird life and reptilia that has evolved in glorious isolation from the mainland for over two million years, the Poor Knights stand sentinel over a marine reserve of spectacular topography, extraordinary diversity, and unique life forms – not to mention the world’s largest sea cave, Riko Riko. This mammoth watery cavern is flamboyantly painted from top to toe with lichen and moss and no visit to the Poor Knights is complete without a thrilling speed boat ride to experience its amazing acoustics, while schools of bright fish dance in the waters below. Over 125 species of fish share this environment with soft corals, encrusting sponges, vibrant anemones, ecklonia kelp forests, mating sting rays, gorgonian fans and myriad other life forms.

A dive at the Poor Knights is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a microcosm of underwater diversity with precipitous walls of rock, dense kelp forests, sand gardens, giant sea caves, archways and massive underwater caverns. Fish find shelter in the rocks and thick kelp forests, where cnidarians, bryozoans, sponges and ascidians construct their intricate scaffoldings, while giant black stingrays gather in archways to meet before they mate. Unexpected visitors from warmer climes include Lord Howe coralfish, spotted black and toadstool grouper, yellow banded perch and banded coral shrimp. Most don’t survive the cooler winter temperatures but some, like the Kermadec angelfish and morsecode trigger fish, have found their own niche. Other regular passersby include manta rays, sunfish, turtles, NZ fur seals, whales and orcas.

It’s no wonder then that the waters surrounding Tutukaka are a game fishing paradise. Although local charters will take you as far afield as the Three Kings, there’s plenty of sport fishing to be had closer to home. Although marlin have been caught right at the entrance to the harbour, and even out of season in these well-stocked waters, there is no shortage of diversity for those after the thrill of the catch and yellow-finned tuna, kingfish, hapuka and snapper abound.

The fish are plentiful at the Poor Knights