http://www.nzherald.co.nz/n...Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is well known for its above water beauty, dolphin watching and the famous ‘Hole in the Rock’. Below the water, it is every bit as stunning. The diving has only improved with the addition of New Zealand’s newest underwater playground, the ex-HMNZS Canterbury, sunk in Deep Water Cove as an artificial reef on 3 November 2007.
There is an enormous choice of dive sites around the Bay of Islands. Launching from Bland Bay, you can dive on Danger Rock, pinnacles of rock that provide plenty of depth for technical divers, with swim throughs, canyons and boulders and visited by large pelagic fish. Launching from Te Uenga Bay you can head out to the Canterbury wreck in Deep Water Cove. In good conditions, the diving far out on Cape Brett is superb and there are many interesting dive sites along the coast, including Pig Gully, Bigeyes Lair and Sonic Boom Cave.
AUUC at the Bay of Islands
Shane Housham and Julia Riddle are the owners of Northland Dive and the Cowshed Backpackers. Shane is a former member of AUUC, so we have a special relationship with them. The club makes several visits to the ’shed’ each year and these trips are always great social events, mixed with top diving and hunting. Due to the distance, we go for the entire weekend, travelling up Friday night and returning to Auckland Sunday night (via Waipu Pizza Barn for dinner), with four dives in between. Shane also instructs some courses for the club, particularly some of the TDI technical courses but also PADI Advanced Open Water and PADI Rescue Diver courses. For some AUUC members, these trips don’t come around often enough, and they head up to the Cowshed more frequently.
What you need to bring
Northland Dive hires gear including tanks, wetsuit and weights so if you don’t own your own, you can hire it up there if organised prior to the trip (call the number below). We do two dives a day so bring two tanks if you have your own. A torch is useful for exploring under rocks and inside the Canterbury wreck. Northland Dive does nitrox fills in addition to air.
Julia cooks fabulous meals for a great price so members normally just bring snacks for between meals. She supplies breakfast, lunch and dinner Saturday, and breakfast and lunch Sunday. There are facilities for you to self cater if you like. BYO drinks…the nearest shop is a long way away.
There are various accommodation options available: doubles, twins, dorms and campsites. Advise us very early if you want a double or twin room as these are limited. If you are staying in the dorms, you need to bring a sleeping bag, pillows are supplied. If you are camping you need to bring your own tent. Towels are not supplied. Bring cash or a credit/EFTPOS card to pay Northland Dive directly for gear hire.
Directions to the Cowshed from Auckland
Travel north from Auckland on SH1 towards Whangarei. Stay on the main road, bypassing Whangarei City. About 15 minutes north of Whangarei, just past Hikurangi, turn right onto Old Russell Road, signposted Oakura. There is a BP service station on the left just before the turn off but it is difficult to spot after it has closed at night. The turn off is on a long sweeping bend. The Cowshed is located about 38 km along Old Russell Road. After travelling for about 40 minutes, you will drive over two one-way bridges in quick succession, 50 metres apart. The Cowshed is another 1.5 km or couple of minutes on, on the left. There are usually cars and boats parked in front of it. If you get lost, call Julia and Shane on 09 433 6633. When you arrive, come on in, Julia will greet you and show you where you are staying.
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