Exploring the Poor Knights Islands: A Marine Paradise with a Rich History
Tucked away 23 kilometres off the northeast coast of New Zealand’s North Island, the Poor Knights Islands are a spectacular marine reserve steeped in natural beauty and rich cultural history. The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve extends 800 m out from any part of the Poor Knights Islands and associated islets, rocks and stacks including the Sugarloaf Rock and High Peak Rocks (The Pinnacles).
The Poor Knights are home to the Rikoriko Cave, one of the largest sea caves in the world. Numerous arches can also be explored, including the Blue maomao arch, the Northern Arch, and many more, as well as walls, including the Magic Wall and Brady’s Corner/Meditation Wall. The islands were permanently abandoned in the 1820s following a devastating attack during intertribal warfare. Today, they are protected as a Nature Reserve above the waterline and as a Marine Reserve below, making them off-limits for landing but open for water-based exploration.
Diving Hotspots
The Poor Knights Islands are frequently listed among the top dive sites in the world, and it’s easy to see why. Volcanic origins have sculpted dramatic underwater landscapes—arches, tunnels, caves, and sheer cliffs—while the convergence of subtropical and temperate waters supports an extraordinary variety of marine life. The Poor Knights Islands offer a wide range of diving and snorkelling options catering to all divers, regardless of their level. Nursery Cove and some of the shallower parts of South Harbour are great dive sites for novice divers, while experienced divers can find spectacular and challenging dives all around the islands.
- Rikoriko Cave: One of the largest sea caves on Earth, this is a must-see dive for its scale, acoustics, and schooling fish.
- Blue Maomao Arch: Named after the vibrant schooling fish that flood the area, this archway is iconic and beginner-friendly.
- Middle Arch: A multi-level dive with opportunities to see stingrays, eels, and anemones.
- Northern Arch: More advanced due to depth and current, but absolutely stunning for experienced divers.
You’ll encounter everything from stingrays and kingfish to nudibranchs, moray eels, and occasional orcas or dolphins passing through.
Fishing Around the Reserve
Fishing is strictly prohibited within the marine reserve (extending 800 meters around the islands), but anglers will find productive grounds just beyond this boundary. It is forbidden to damage, disturb, feed or take any marine life within the marine reserve.
The Poor Knights are one of those places that just stick with you. You can’t land on the islands, but cruising around them, diving through caves, and spotting schools of fish in crystal-clear water is more than enough. Whether you’re there for a quick dive, a day of fishing just outside the reserve, or an overnight mooring under the stars, it’s the kind of spot that keeps calling you back.
