360 Virtual Dive Tour
Taputeranga Marine Reserve
Take a look under the waves, get personal with the local marine life and discover the remains of the HMNZS Wellington (F69) shipwreck!
Explore Wellington’s Marine Reserve
The reefs inside our fully protected marine reserve are buzzing with life. Dive into schools of fish, hover above amazing seaweed beds, observe all the action around you and get eye-to-eye with curious fish and resident rock lobsters (‘crayfish’). Taputeranga Marine Reserve is a fantastic place to visit both in and out of the water. Read more about the Snorkel Trail here.
Some of our dive sites: The Snorkel Trail (ST), Elsdon Pipe (EP), the Back of Taputeranga Island (BoI) and the HMNZS Wellington (F69) shipwreck.
Interactive Photo Tour
This tour is a great way to start your exploration of the Taputeranga Marine Reserve. Choose where you want to go – just click on the symbols to go to the next scene or get more information! Try to find your way from the Snorkel Trail to the HMNZS Wellington (F69) shipwreck and back!
Click here for tips on watching our 360 photo tour & videos!
Discover Wellington's Rocky Reefs
360 Reef - Dive Elsdon Pipe
Surround yourself with fish! Dive into schools of trevally and jack mackerel and join them in their environment. We love the seaweed gardens at this dive site! 360 viewing tips
Hanging out with blue moki on the deeper reefs at Elsdon Pipe.
360 Reef - Dive the Snorkel Trail
This is one of the best spots for an easy snorkel with info signs and marker buoys. You don’t have to go far to see plenty of marine life. Read more about the Snorkel Trail here.
Check out this very curious banded wrasse. They know what happens in their territory! Even a blue moki is attracted by all the fuss and numerous spotties swim through the lovely lush seaweed at the Snorkel Trail.
New Zealand rock lobster (‘crayfish’) sheltering in the rocks at the Snorkel Trail. The rock lobster population in the reserve is fully protected like all the other marine life. The crayfish numbers are up and you can usually spot some just snorkelling on the surface!
Because the banded wrasse is such a star we got another video for you…
360 Reef - Back of Taputeranga Island
Dive the colourful boulders and channels at the back of Taputeranga Island and meet the resident marine life.
Explore the HMNZS Wellington
The HMNZS Wellington (F69) was deliberately sunk off the South Coast in 2005. The shipwreck now lies within the Taputeranga Marine Reserve and provides an artificial reef on sandy and cobbly bottom in about 21 meters.
Take a look around the bridge, swim past the Captain’s toilet and explore the shipwreck! 360 viewing tips
F69 - An Artificial Reef
Divers swim along the HMNZS Wellington (F69) and explore the bridge
F69 - The Bridge
Take a look around the bridge of the HMNZS Wellington (F69)!
F69 – Captain's Toilet (aka diving ‘Bridge to Dunny’)
Divers leave the bridge and swim past the Captain’s toilet!
F69 – Inside the Shipwreck
Join the divers exploring the inside of the HMNZS Wellington (F69) bridge section!
Nothing beats the real experience...
Take the plunge or enjoy the marine reserve from the shore!
Information about the marine reserve, how to get to the Snorkel Trail and the Friends of Taputeranga Marine Reserve Trust can be found here. Get in touch with the Wellington Underwater Club if you are a diver or snorkeller (Facebook). If you want to try snorkelling follow Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust and the upcoming community snorkel events. Hire wetsuits and gear or take a dive courses with one of the local dive shops (Dive Wellington, Island Bay Divers, Dive & Ski HQ).
About us
We hope you enjoyed the ‘virtual’ exploration of Taputeranga Marine Reserve.
As a trustee of the Friends of Taputeranga Marine Reserve Nicole wants to provide everyone with the opportunity to dive into the reserve, take a look under the waves and discover this special place right on Wellington’s doorstep. Read more about Nicole and her projects on this website.
Skye brings a great passion for the marine environment and excellent design and coding skills to her trustee role with the Friends of Taputeranga Marine Reserve. Big thanks to Skye for helping make this page look awesome!
Testimonials
‘I wanted to share my passion for diving with my family so I got mum to take the photo tour on my iPad. Mum was holding it in the middle of the lounge, walking around, turning the iPad up and down, getting close up to the fish, looking at crayfish, looking around the shipwreck. She loved it and now sees why I love diving!’
We’d love to hear from you! Please send us your feedback to nicole@adventure360.co.nz.
You can also leave your contact details on the Contact Us page to receive email updates on events, exciting news or new posts to the page.
You can hear more about the 360 virtual dive tour and diving in Wellington from Nicole on Radio NZ Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan.