cave

Log This Dive

The Golf ball/ Car Park

The Golf Ball, or Car Park as we often call it, is a bit of a local secret, tucked away near Goat Island. Forget the name, it's not about sunken cars or lost golf balls. This site is all about the wall dive, a proper drop-off that takes you from the kelp-lined shallows down to around 14 metres, sometimes a little deeper if you poke around the corners of Waipapa Island. We love dropping in on the sand patch in the middle of Boat Harbour, then following the island’s edge. That’s where the wall starts to get interesting. You’ll find schools of pacific sardines flickering in the blue, occasionally getting buzzed by a passing king wrasse. Keep your eyes peeled for short-tail stingrays buried in the sand as you transition from the wall’s base. It’s a great spot for spotting blue moki, a fish we don’t see as often as we’d like in other New Zealand spots. Look closely in the kelp fronds for the yellow-and-black triplefins. Visibility averages around 9 metres, which is decent for a New Zealand shore dive, but on a good day after an easterly, it can push to 15 metres. It’s an easy, relaxed dive, perfect for a long bottom time, exploring crevices, and just soaking in the temperate reef feel. This site suits divers who appreciate the subtler beauty of a temperate reef, those who enjoy searching for smaller creatures among the kelp and along a gentle wall. It’s a comfortable dive for anyone from newly certified to experienced, as long as you’re happy navigating a good wall.