Shooting the Hole in the Rock

Urupukapuka to Tutukaka

After a quick swim we left Urupukapuka heading for the Poor Knights rated by Jacques Cousteau as one of his top ten dive sites in the world. Leaving the Bay of Islands as we headed for Cape Brett we could see the “Hole in the Rock” and decided we would go through it.  The hole is 16 metres high and there was no way we were going to fit through in Te Kaihōpara, so three of us donned buoyancy aids and jumped into the rigid inflatable.  With a 2 metre swell running and waves breaking on the rocks we had to time the entrance to the hole just right.  The normally crowded Hole in the Rock was deserted at this time of day, not a tripper boat to be seen, we lined up, waited for the right lull in the waves and went for it. The anticipation and breaking waves around us certainly got the adrenaline going and it was with a degree of relief that we came out the other side but that was just a taster! We turned around and went straight back in, this time turning inside the tunnel and coming back out.  As we exited the tunnel we could see Te Kaihōpara popping up the other side of the swell and then disappearing from sight before reappearing as the swell lifted us. That certainly got the blood pumping and we headed back to the comfort of Te Kaihōpara.  Boarding another boat with waves and swell running can be a little challenging, as one goes up the other can go down so timing is critical as legs or arms can get stuck between the boats as they move in opposite directions, but all were well tuned in to the moment and made it safely back on board.  After seeing how much the sea had been stirred up by the swell we decided to give the Poor Knights a miss thinking that with this level of swell running we would struggle to find a safe anchorage and the snorkeling would be challenging with the surge and movement of the sea, added to which visibility underwater would also be compromised with sediment stirred up by the breakers.  One for another time. So, it was onwards to Tutukaka which is a mainland port used as a base for dive boats that frequent the Poor Knights. Our first anchorage in the harbour was a little rolly with some of the easterly swell still making its way through the narrow and reef protected entrance.  We took the dinghy and a lead line and went exploring the harbour checking soundings against the chart and found a great spot just outside the channel with actual depth being greater than the chart suggested.  It was almost dead low water so we were comfortable knowing that with sufficient water at this time, it couldn’t get any worse.  Back to TK we raised the anchor and moved to our new location before heading to shore for a quick explore and a top up of fresh milk, fruit and veg.

Chicken Green Thai Curry for dinner with good company and a glass of wine. We planned the next day and decided on an early start with both the Mokohinau Islands and Great Barrier on the agenda. Juliet even agreed to a pre breakfast 500 m swim, 250m each way and away from the security of the boat. So far she has yet to swim more than 10m away from the boat, preferring to do laps rather than a swim explore, so we will have to see…