Waikato river drift dive: Clear water and shallow drift dive avoiding the bungy and getting out before the Huka Falls! Joining another club coming from Auckland so the more the merrier. Will be heading down for the day. Transport and cars will have to be arranged between drop-off and pickup points. Contact us if you're interested.

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"The Waikato is New Zealand's longest and most powerful river, taking its source from Lake Taupo, a volcanic crater situated centrally on the North Island. The dive itself commences at Cherry Island just on the outskirts of the town of Taupo. You kit up on the banks of the river and make sure everything is working correctly, because once you enter the water, there is definitely no turning back. Even putting your fins on in the river can be awkward with the river trying to whisk you away. Once everyone is ready, you drift on the surface just past the bungy jump into what is known as "Hells Gate", where the river takes a bend and narrows. Here you descend to anything between 10m and 4m and away you go! It is now time to forget everything you have ever learned in diving techniques as you make yourself completely negative and constantly "leap frog" over boulders or fend off fallen trees and logs. This is a really exhilarating dive. In some places the river is only a couple of meters deep (these are the really fast bits). If you have time, take in the river bed rock formations as they are quite stunning. It is also quite disconcerting to see the odd Rainbow Trout, seemingly remaining still in the rivers flow as you hurtle past out of control! "

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