Blue Maomao Arch, Poor Knights Islands

GPS 35 29.32404S 174 44.46924E

This site is based on the archway. A sandy bottomed channel (Labrid Channel) leads into the arch. Take a look at the large boulders in the channel where colourful triplefins and blennies perch. Once inside the arch let your eyes adjust and slowly work your way though. A window of light penetrates into the arch making for some great silhouette photos or conveniently spotlighting blue maomao for you. At the other end the arch opens up to a flat area of dense kelp forest. Once out the other side of the arch you can choose to either return back through the arch or go around the point back to your entry point. Most of the site is fairly shallow, 8 metres or so in the arch and getting to around 14 metres on the eastern side of the site. The water is generally very clear at the Poor Knights with fresh clear water being brought in on the subtropical current that bathes these islands. Visibility is regularly around 20 metres and reaches up to 30 metres.

Aquatic Life:

The site is famous for the large schools of blue maomao that often aggregate in the archway forming a dense, captivating display. Clown nudibranchs are also common in the arch. Fish species include scorpionfish, star gazers, black angelfish, red pigfish, demoiselles, sandaggers wrasse, green wrasse, porae, red moki, snapper, marblefish, leather jackets, moray eels and short-tailed stingrays. Subtropical visitors include toadstool grouper. Inverts include brown urchins, kina (urchins), gem nudibranchs and clown nudibranchs.

Warnings:

This site is extremely popular and can become quite crowded in the summer months when the season peaks. Novice divers in particular can stir up the sediment at the eastern end of the channel reducing vis. This will clear fairly quickly though if you have the time. If particularly full there is always the option of diving around the point first in the hope that the divers will have exited the channel by the time you go to enter it on your way back. Take care not to scrape the walls or bottom of the arch with your fins as you can damage many years of fragile growth with a single kick.

Directions:

Boat charters leave for the Poor Knights from Tutukaka. From Auckland head north on State Highway 1 to Whangarei (approx 2 and a half hours). From Whangarei head out of town following Ngunguru Road, keep driving through Ngunguru for another five minutes and you hit Tutukaka (about half an hour from Whangarei). There's a good campground (Tutukaka Holiday Park) here with a lockable drying cage for your gear. Blue Maomao Arch is one of the Poor Knights most famous dive sites and is located at the southernmost island of the group, Archway Island, on the northeastern side.

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