The Poor Knights Islands were so named by Captain Cook (allegedly) as when he sailed past and saw the top of the island dusted with red from the native flowering tree the pohutukowa, he likened it with his breakfast which was French Toast with jam on top (apparently called a poor knights breakfast).
We had heard about the islands when we were in the Christchurch and our guide book certainly recommended a visit. Since we had some vouchers to spend we decided to splash out on a day tour of the marine reserve aboard a boat that would include snorkelling, kayaking, and lunch.
We boarded the multi level boat designed to hold up to 75 passengers and found ourselves with just 8 others, which meant we would have plenty of room! The 45 minute ride out to the islands showed us the beautiful coastline of hills broken with golden beached bays and rocky outcrops. On our approach to the islands we were treated to the dramatic cliffs rising to thick vegetation, and rugged rock formations jutting out into the surrounding ocean.
It is forbidden for anyone to step foot on the island without special permission and has therefore remained untouched by humans since a Maori tribe was massacred (by a rival chief) over 100 years ago. The department of conservation also made efforts to remove any non native species of plant or animal from the island so it is now a haven for native wildlife including the giant centipede (over a foot long) and several very large bugs including the worlds largest insect the Weta.
What the area is visited for however is its sea life and it wasn't long before we found out why. Not long after putting down anchor in a sheltered bay we had donned our wet suits and snorkelling gear and had ventured from the platform at the back of the boat. The visibility was perfect, giving a clear view of the bottom, about 10 metres below us and all around. It wasn't long before we saw the abundance of fish as they seemed totally unperturbed by our presence. They barely bothered to even move out of the way! Swimming along the edge of the land where the cliffs met the water we entered the shady area where even more fish were sheltering from the sun. We saw a surprising number of really colourful fish that looked like they belonged in the tropics. We were later told that they do indeed belong further north but some make it further south due a warm current. We did a little exploring in a small sea cave which looked very scary and gloomy but once you were inside provided great views of the fish in the sunlit cave entrance.
A little while later we were back on the boat warming up in the sun, chatting and helping ourselves to the excellent lunch that had been prepared by the crew. The next spot we were taken to was at the north of the island and was too deep to anchor, but the crew raved about a rock archway that continued 40 metres below the surface of the sea where huge shoals of fish sheltered. The boat backed up as close as it could to the archway and hovered there while most of us leapt off the back with our snorkels. The hype wasn't for nothing, it was absolutely breathtaking. The huge shoals of fish varied in size, colour and depth and we could see almost to the bottom of the arch. It was one of the most exhilarating minutes of my life, but that's how long we got before we had to swim back to the boat as the swell was putting it in danger so close to the rocks.
Our last port of call before heading back to the mainland was to the largest sea cave in the world (measured) called Rikoriko Cave. The boat drove right inside it where you could begin to comprehend the size of the place, before letting off a couple of blasts on the horn of which the sound was immense and echoed for a good 14 seconds. Apparently concerts have been held in there for the acoustics which have resulted in reports of fish bobbing up and down in time to music beats as apparently it effects their swim bladders!