The Poor Knights Islands are a group of uninhabited islands off the east coast of the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. They are located 50 kilometres to the northeast of Whangarei, and lie 22 kilometres offshore half way between Bream Head and Cape Brett.
The chain consists of two large islands (Aorangi and Tawhiti Rahi) with a group of smaller islets between the two, the largest of which is called Motu Kapiti. The name Tawhiti Rahi is also used as a name for the entire chain by Māori. The islands are the eroded remnants of a 4 million year old rhyolitic volcano. The total area of the chain is 24 km².
The islands are protected as a nature reserve and a permit is required to land or tie boats up. Permits are usually granted only for scientific research.
The waters for 800 metres around the islands are a marine reserve in which it is prohibited to disturb marine life or remove rocks or shells. No commercial fishing is permitted within one nautical mile (1,852 metres) and long lining is the only commercial fishing permitted between one and three nautical miles. The islands are a popular diving location due to the variety of marine fauna found there, and are popular also for their intriguing landforms, which include natural arches and caves.
The origin of the name is said to derive from the islands' apparent resemblance to Poor Knight's Pudding, a bread-based dish popular at the time of discovery by Europeans. Source: Wikipedia.org
Distance from Aukland: Day Trip
Viz: 15-30 m
Water temp: 23°C in summer, 14°C in winter
Number of dive sites: Approx 50!
