The Alderman Islands
Located 20 kilometres off the coast of Tairua on the Coromandel Peninsula, are a series of dramatic island peaks – remnants of volcanoes – rising up off the ocean floor. These are the Aldermen Islands known for fantastic diving and often compared with the Poor Knights. The water clarity is 15 to 30 metres much of the year and water temperatures reach a pleasant 22 degrees Celsius in summer. The diving is spectacular featuring huge drop offs and attracting a great range of fish life, caves, pinnacles starting at 12 metres, and a major feeding station starting 8m below the surface and dropping to 70m. The marine life is varied, with Spanish lobsters relatively common in this area. The islands are occupied by visiting seals in the winter months, and schools of dolphins and pods of orca are often seen.
