Our second day of diving is located on the archipelago of the Poor Knight Islands that Jacques-Yves Cousteau made it popular ranking the spot as one of the 10 best dives in the world.
We have an appointment at 9am in the peaceful pier of Tutukaka. We get the diving equipment before settling on board of the boat. After a short safety briefing, we heave the anchor. The sea is calm while the outline of the islands loom in the distance. En route, we suddenly change the course to chase a group of pilot whales. Sort of big bulby-headed dolphins. For a short time, we forget the scuba diving and our eyes look for the dark spots on the water surface.
We leave the company of the cetaceans to head for the islands of the archipelago. A large opening in the rock overlooks us and it's under this arch we 'll pass diving. We quickly put on the equipment, mask installed and regulator in the mouth, we jump into the ocean. A trickle of cold water flows alongside my spine as we sink to the bottom of the sea. We enter in a long corridor where the giant seaweeds dance in the current. A soft light illuminates the colossal gully we swim in. A kind of triomphant aisle reserved for the submarine world. Despite the imposing size of the way, our looks linger on the small animals which live among the seaweeds. The mulitcoloured nudibranches (sea slugs) give eerie shades to the rocks. Tiny invertebrates which let us forget all the rest.
The second dive completes our visual set of fish, nudibranches and submarine flora. A second dose of nitrogen in the outstanding sea bed of this archipelago.
Keyword - at the kiwis country -
Friday 30 November 2007
The nudibranches of Poor Knight Islands
By dorian on Friday 30 November 2007, 20:07 - RTW-New Zealand
Thursday 29 November 2007
Dive on the Rainbow Warrior wreck
By dorian on Thursday 29 November 2007, 20:02 - RTW-New Zealand
Off the Cavalli islands coast, an illustrious wreck lays down.
The story of this wreck doesn't summarize in the frenzy of a mere ship which hits a reef or an iceberg and slowly sinks ; it implies a darker affair where words like political scandal, diplomatic crisis, sabotage and secret agents surface. An affair that causes French politics trouble in the middle of the eighties. But before diving in the dismal and unfortunately bloody story of the Rainbow Warrior sabotage, we go to discover the Bay of Island, between flowers and ocean.
The next day, from Paihia, we take a bus to reach a beach that faces the Cavalli islands. On the lawn of a campsite, we put on the diving equipement and hop on the boat. On board, we are the only two French people and we cannot avoid the mockery of the team. I have to say that the Rainbow Warrior sabotage deeply moved a lot of Newzealanders since it was the first act of this kind on the peaceful territory of the Maoris.
Stopping at the Auckland pier before sailing to the Mururoa atoll in order to protest against the French nuclear tests, the flagship of Greenpeace will never leave the harbour. During the night of the 10th of july 1985, a double explosion rings out, the Rainbow Warrior sinks, ripped open at the engines hall level. Unfortunately, within this act of sabotage, Fernando Pereira, photographer of the pacifist association will be killed. The saboteurs wil be arrested a little time later, creating a big trouble within the French government, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will resign his post and the Prime Minister will have to apologize in the name of the nation as well as a financial compensation to Greenpeace and the New Zealand government.
In this peculiar background, we dive on the wreck, the hull lays down on a 27m-deep sandy bed. The hole of the explosion was filled in again and isn't visible any more while the submarine vegetation invaded all the wreck. We get in the ship through a gaping hole which split its upper deck. After a brilliant career full of struggles of every kind, from now on, it's as shelter of fish it carries on its pacifist action.
The second dive is around on the Cavalli islands. Giant seaweeds hiding a few fish and nudibranches.
Monday 26 November 2007
Chromatic delirium on the Tongariro Crossing
By dorian on Monday 26 November 2007, 19:59 - RTW-New Zealand
All the hiking buffs (tramping in the New Zealand language) arranged to meet here for certainly the finest one-day trek we can enjoy on the kiwis' land. During the Tongariro crossing, several choices are possible to extend the path such as the ascent of the Ngauruhoe volcano. We'll opt for climbing this almost-perfectly-conical volcano.
In the morning, we take the shuttle from the National park village to go to the beginning of the route. We get in the lands of the Mordor. A few years ago, within this barren and dark area, Peter Jackson settled the headquarters of the nasty orks for his trilogy "the Lord of the ring". Debris of volcanic rock strew the uneven scenery of the trek. Everything is only dark red and black.
We turn on the right to walk the steep slope of the volcano. Our feet sink into a mixture of mud and pumice. The sun burns. Droplets of sweat stand out in beads on the face. We climb with a lot of difficulty, our steps are so uncertain on the unstable parts. After an one-hour effort, we reach the summit. Smokes escape from the puffy stones. The crest outlines the snow-covered crater where we peer the lunar panorama from. A 360° mind-boggling vista. Sterilized and dark mountains suddenly welcoming and intoxicating.
We walk down through the scree. An acrobat exercise to avoid falling down. A jealous climbing hiker insults us shouting that our stupid games trigger off avalanches of stones. Sheer envy of our refined style. I sit down to keep on going down a sheet of snow. The speed overwhelms me. The 2 hands and 2 feet aren't enough to stop me and I fininsh into the rocks. I'm all right with only a sprain at a finger and a painful ankle. But I perhaps broke the record of the fastest descent of the volcano!
A the bottom of the volcano, we empty all we collect during the descent from our shoes and we start again the normal path of the Tongariro crossing. A gentle slope our tired bodies take it and suddenly forget in front of the spectacle which faces us.
A red and black monument, a sort of volcanic, rocky grottoe and 3 lakes with colours that only nature can give. The science will explain these are deposits of sulphur. Our eyes are far from all these rational explanations. They dip again into this other world we don't want to leave any more. Every trekker walks in slow motion or stops, the faces twisted by the stunning beauty.
We decide to have the lunch on this unreal ground. A little bit of rice before starting the long descent to the valley. The multi-hued show is behind us. Our minds seem ethereal, relieved by so many beautiful things.
The Tongariro Crossing : let you write it down in the page "must do in New Zealand".
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