Dive Pacific 175 Dec2020 Jan 2021

Once is never enough for the
Kermadec Islands
Story and photos by Paul Caiger
As far as remote and rugged outposts go, the Kermadec Islands/Rangitāhua certainly fit the
bill. Midway between mainland New Zealand and Tonga, these fragments of rock rise up in
an otherwise vast ocean environment. Their remoteness makes them a hard place to visit;
rare scientific expeditions, government resupply vessels, and a few intrepid yachties and
divers.
As for us, we were a collection of mostly marine science folk who wished to explore the
Kermadecs on our own time. Four days of favourable winds blew us there north from the
Bay of Islands on a 60-foot steel ketch, the Dona Catharina.
34 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific