10 caves · down to 40 m · 8 suitable for an intro team
Cave diving in Poor Knights
- Caves10
- Max depth40 m
- Water temperature14–23 °C
- Dive centres3
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Dive Now (Whangarei and Tutukaka)Air, nitrox to 40% (fills only for nitrox-certified divers), oxygen by partial pressure blending for tec divers and trimix (per its own website). Cylinders need a New Zealand LAB number; foreign cylinders can sometimes be approved there.
- Global Dive (Auckland)Air, nitrox (pre-blended to 40%, 41–99% by partial pressure), oxygen, trimix and heliox; rebreather cylinders too (per its own website).
Why come here
Around the Poor Knights, ~22 km off the Northland coast, you dive sea caves, arches, tunnels and swim-throughs in a strict marine reserve. The boat takes about an hour from Tutukaka, usually with a guide from a local dive centre. Most caves and arches have daylight; Taravana and Isabella Cave are real caves where only qualified cave divers go beyond the light. The water is ~20–23 °C in summer and ~14–16 °C from May to September, and currents can be strong around Northern Arch. In the reserve you take nothing, don't feed the fish and never land on the islands.
Don't miss
- Rikoriko Cave (Aorangi): according to the dive centres the largest sea cave in the southern hemisphere, with sponges and animals at the back you would otherwise only see at great depth, and a sperm whale's jaw bone at 8 m.
- Northern Arch: per Dive Now the best arch for big schools of fish, with large snapper, kingfish and sometimes a bronze whaler, over a floor at ~37–40 m.
- Bernie's Cave (Middle Arch): stingrays often rest on the sand and the roof of the air bubble shines like a silver mirror.
- Taravana Cave: per Seafriends one of the world's great natural wonders, little known because it is so hard to reach, with entrances at 26–32 m and only for qualified cave divers.
On a rest day
- Tutukaka Head lighthouse walk: A short walk over the headland and Kukutauwhao Island to the lighthouse, with wide views of the coast; the crossing is difficult around high tide.
- Matapōuri and Whale Bay: Walking tracks through pōhutukawa, pūriri and kōwhai to two white-sand beaches on the Tūtūkākā Coast.
- Whangārei Falls: A 26.3 m waterfall over basalt cliffs, with a loop of about a kilometre and three viewing platforms.
All 10 caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barren Arch (Tawhiti Rahi)Backmount · Open water / no overhead | 35 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Bernie's Cave (Middle Arch)Backmount · Cavern | – | Backmount | Cavern |
| Blue Maomao ArchBackmount · Open water / no overhead | – | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Isabella Cave (Scary Cave)Backmount · Full cave | – | Backmount | Full cave |
| Jan's Tunnel (Aorangi)Backmount · Cavern | 30 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Middle ArchBackmount · Open water / no overhead | – | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Northern ArchBackmount · Open water / no overhead | 40 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Rikoriko Cave (Aorangi)Backmount · Open water / no overhead | 26 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Taravana CaveBackmount · Full cave | 40 m | Backmount | Full cave |
| Tie Dye Arch (The Pinnacles)Backmount · Open water / no overhead | – | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Dive centres and fill stations
3 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Dive Now (Whangarei and Tutukaka)
41 Clyde Street, Whangarei
Air, nitrox to 40% (fills only for nitrox-certified divers), oxygen by partial pressure blending for tec divers and trimix (per its own website). Cylinders need a New Zealand LAB number; foreign cylinders can sometimes be approved there.
Whangarei shop: Mon–Fri 8:30–17:00, Sat 8:30–13:00, Sun closed. Blends only when a gas blender is on site: arrange ahead.
Guided dives: Rikoriko Cave (Aorangi), Blue Maomao Arch, Northern Arch, Middle Arch, Bernie's Cave (Middle Arch)
Rental: Dive gear and wetsuits (per its own website).
SSI dive centre in Whangarei with a shop at Tutukaka Marina. Day trips to the Poor Knights (about an hour by boat, max. 12 passengers, dives of max. 90 minutes), three dives on some days; between the dives a tour of the arches and Rikoriko Cave. Describes the arches and caves on its own site and says that beyond daylight in Taravana and Isabella Cave you go only as a qualified cave diver. Tec training SSI XR to 50 m with deco; no CCR training, but rebreather friendly on board. Took over the liveaboard Sun Spy in Oct 2026.
Dive! Tutukaka
3 Rona Place, Tutukaka, Whangarei 0173
Guided dives: Tie Dye Arch (The Pinnacles), Blue Maomao Arch, Rikoriko Cave (Aorangi), Middle Arch, Northern Arch, Jan's Tunnel (Aorangi), Barren Arch (Tawhiti Rahi)
Rental: Full gear: BCD, regulator with computer, wetsuit, fins, mask, tanks and weights (per its own website).
PADI 5-Star IDC at Tutukaka Marina, since 1998. Day trips with two guided dives at the Poor Knights (one hour by boat; Open Water at least, groups of max. 6 divers; dives usually 12–25 m); the skipper chooses the sites. Nitrox tanks on request. Between the dives the boat tours the arches and, when conditions allow, goes into Rikoriko Cave. Its website doesn't name which caves and arches it dives.
Global Dive (Auckland)
52 Remuera Road, Newmarket, Auckland 1050
Air, nitrox (pre-blended to 40%, 41–99% by partial pressure), oxygen, trimix and heliox; rebreather cylinders too (per its own website).
Open every day: Mon–Fri 9–18, Sat–Sun 9–17.
Training: CCR, Trimix · SSI
Guided dives: Tie Dye Arch (The Pinnacles), Blue Maomao Arch, Rikoriko Cave (Aorangi), Middle Arch, Northern Arch, Jan's Tunnel (Aorangi), Barren Arch (Tawhiti Rahi)
Rental: Recreational and technical gear, drysuits and scooters (per its own website).
SSI dive centre in Auckland, ~2.5 hours' drive from Tutukaka: the place for trimix, heliox and oxygen on the way north. Runs CCR training up to SSI CCR Technical Extended Range (60 m, trimix) on the AP Inspiration and Evolution. Organises weekend liveaboards to the Poor Knights on the Sun Spy from Tutukaka (arrange your own transport).
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Tutukaka (marina) and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Where to stay
Find a place near Tutukaka, Whangarei
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- TutukakaBooking.com ↗
- WhangareiBooking.com ↗
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Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 111. Diving accident: Diving Emergency Service (DES) 0800 4 DES 111 (0800 4337 111), 24 hours a day. Chamber: Slark Hyperbaric Unit, 91 Calliope Road, Devonport (Auckland).
Access and rules
- Rules: the whole area up to 800 m around the islands is a marine reserve. Take, catch or disturb nothing (no shells, rocks or seaweed either) and don't feed the fish. You may not land on any part of the islands or rocks, nor tie a boat to the shore. Max. 5 knots within 200 m of the shore or a dive flag; anchor with care. Breaches: confiscation, fines and even imprisonment.
Fees and opening hours
- Costs: a day trip with two dives costs NZD 279–399 according to the dive centres (at Dive! Tutukaka with full rental gear).
Gas and fills
- Gas: air and nitrox on the boats (nitrox on request); Dive Now in Whangarei also fills oxygen and trimix, Global Dive in Auckland heliox too. For blends: arrange ahead.
Water and season
- Water: ~20–23 °C in summer (December–March), ~14–16 °C from May to September. Visibility around 20 m in summer, up to 30 m from May to September; from September to January sometimes less because of plankton and algae blooms. Currents can be strong around Northern Arch.
Getting around
- Travel: fly into Auckland (AKL); Tutukaka is ~2.5 hours' drive from Auckland and ~30 minutes from Whangarei. The boats leave from Tutukaka Marina. Don't fly straight after diving.
Good to know
- Read this first: the Poor Knights lie ~22 km off the Northland coast. Around the islands you dive sea caves, arches, tunnels and swim-throughs, from a boat out of Tutukaka (about an hour's ride) and usually guided by a local dive centre. Most caves and arches have daylight; Taravana and Isabella Cave are real caves where only qualified cave divers go beyond the light.
News
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Searched automatically, last on 5 Nov 2026.
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