Blue Maomao Arch

Blue Maomao Arch lies within the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve off Matapouri, on the Northland coast of New Zealand's North Island. It centres on a large underwater archway cutting through Aorangi Island, named for the schools of blue maomao that gather in and around it. The Poor Knights are known for warm subtropical currents that bring in species not typical of mainland New Zealand waters, along with abundant sponge and soft coral growth on the rock walls. The site tops out at around 18 metres and is rated a beginner dive, with the archway itself passable by divers. Divers here have also reported nudibranchs and scorpionfish tucked among the rock and sponge growth. It is a popular boat dive out of Tutukaka and Matapouri, though open water swells can affect conditions at the entrance.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• NudibranchNudibranchReported here · unconfirmed
• ScorpionfishScorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed
• New Zealand DemoiselleChromis dispilaReported here · unconfirmed
• Cook's ScorpionfishScorpaena cardinalisReported here · unconfirmed
• Eastern King WrasseCoris sandeyeriReported here · unconfirmed
• Clown DorisCeratosoma amoenumReported here · unconfirmed
• Eastern PigfishBodianus unimaculatusReported here · unconfirmed
• New Zealand Black AngelfishParma alboscapularisReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellowtail KingfishSeriola lalandiReported here · unconfirmed
• Grey MorayGymnothorax nubilusReported here · unconfirmed