People in New Zealand -- the West Pacific -- think that water is "really cold" and requires a…read morewetsuit when it is somewhere in the mid 70s F -- but for me -- that's the perfect temperature. Over here in the East Pacific, we have MUCH chillier water. I brought my own snorkel gear, found a nice family who were not leaving any time soon and deposited my stuff near the non-swimming grandfather to watch, though, being NZ, I had little to worry about. Then - I hopped in the water and swam off to circumnavigate Goat Island, solo and without (gasp!) a PFD or lifeguard. I saw heaps of rays and even some reef sharks. The current between the island and the shore is a bit pushy, so I recommend checking the currents and swimming anticlockwise on an ebbing tide. Total swim was about 2200 meters, and very doable for a strong swimmer. If you're not a strong swimmer - bring a SUP or a kayak and have fun!

One of my favourite daytrips out of the city is a visit to Goat Island, in the small town of Leigh…read more Goat Island offers plenty of fine attractions to keep you entertained for the day, and if the weather plays along, then you can have a great day out. We normally pack the cricket kit, the petanque balls, and our snorkeling gear, plus all the normal beach day stuff. The Goat Island area offers good grass areas, an excellent golden beach and if you're not too scared of cold water, great snorkeling. Now others like to scuba, but I love to snorkel, and the fish offer a display of nature at her best. Blue, yellow or silver, they're all gorgeous, and seeing the big predators is worth freezing your bum off.

The Poor Knights Islands are a beautiful marine reserve & Yukon Dive is a fantastic choice to take…read moreyou there on a dive or snorkel tour. Every part of the services they supplied was on point, from the dive & snorkel equipment to the thorough safety explanation to the hot drinks on board. The dive boat was also the nicest I've been on, very comfortable. They also drove us through beautiful natural arch ways of the islands & into the largest sea cave in the world . And the snorkeling was awesome, through caves teeming with fish. A day very well spent!

Amazing dive operators in a stunning part of the world. I was paired in a small group of four…read moredivers. We did two fantastic dives around the Poor Knights Island marine reserve. I saw 4 different eel species, schools of blue & pink Mao Mao, lots of stingrays (a 1st for me) kelp beds & sea life. I always felt safe and was extremely well looked after: from them setting up my gear for each dive, to hot beverages & soups awaiting out return, to a prepared lunch. First class. I highly recommend.

We booked a snorkel trip to Poor Knight's Islands. The boat left the harbor around 11:00. We…read moresnorkeled over an hour and saw lots of fish, kelp, a stingray, etc. Employees were great with snorkel gear and info. They also provided stand-up paddle boards and kayaks. Then we had lunch (awful soggy sandwiches but potato salad, mixed green salad, coleslaw, curry salad and fresh fruit were good). They had plenty of hot and cold drinks. We went in a cave and through an arch. Dozens of dolphins swam along the boat. I didn't use their toilets. There was plenty of space on the top deck to relax and see things. We returned to the harbor at 4:00. Good value. Fun experience.

What a great dive shop, really fantastic service - I arrived late in the afternoon, they were…read morehaving a BBQ & I ended up getting crayfish & champagne!!! Thrilled to have found what must be surely the best dive shop on Earth!!! Thanks heaps Performance Diver!!

I recently was out and about looking to buy a dive torch for a friend's birthday. I went to a…read morecouple of Dive places that I remembered off by heart but their ranges were pretty far out of my price range so I was still searching. I did a quick search on the internet and Performance Diver come out as one of the first. It was a little bit hard to find as it is tucked behind the big Flower Wholesalers, but I called the guy to say I was lost and he was lovely in helping me find it. When I got there he greeted me warmly and straight away showed me to their torches, They had a really good range, although not big it covered a large range of prices and so was perfect. He helped me get the one I wanted and all the connections and then asked what kind of diving I did. When I said we were planning a visit to the Poor Knights eh offered us a spot on their charter. Nice guy and great range.

As a group of six (6) we walked up and asked if there was any room on the jet boat for us. Luck was…read moreon our side as with no booking and a bit of a discount as we were from the cruise ship we were given front row seats on the last ride of the day. Sometimes the best laid plans are no plans. Our jet boat driver was a crack up and a pretty good photographer when it came to taking pics and movies with a gopro. We paid an extra $20 for the digital versions and these were uploaded to a dropbox so we could download them when we got back home. The thrill of 360s was good fun; watching and cheering the bungee jumpers from the bridge was crazy and seeing the harbour from water level was excellent for a change. You will get wet but your laughter will dry you off pretty quickly!

Eleven of us did a thrilling jet boat excursion in the South Island last Christmas and it's…read morereminded me to look into doing this amazing fun activity in my own town. Auckland Jet Boat Tours would be the place I'd book. I passed by their offices at Auckland Viaduct last week and witnessed a boat load of satisfied passengers, grins as proof, stepping off "Ruby Red Lips" the vessel having just been out on the glistening Waitemata Harbour for a ride of a lifetime. Great value if you book the Jet Boat Bungy combo.