Date and time: Sun, 22 Feb 2025 07:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Kaiteriteri beach in front of On the Spot Dairy – 3 Kaiteriteri-Sandy Bay Road Kaiteriteri, 7197
Event duration: Event lasts 9 hours
Pre-registration: https://TongaMarineReserveSnorkel.eventbrite.co.nz
Email enquiries: [email protected].
Refund Policy: Refunds up to 3 days before event – Eventbrite’s fee is nonrefundable.
Bring the whole whānau and explore the waters of our local Marine Reserve. The snorkelling activity is free of charge. You will need to pay $50 per person for the return boat trip – this is a special subsidised rate that Abel Tasman Seashuttles offers us. There will also be a small Eventbrite booking fee.
Tasman Bay Guardians (TBG) are hosting Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) Community guided snorkel day at Tonga Marine Reserve in the Abel Tasman National park! This is an activity for locals and NZ residents not for tourists*.
ON THE DAY
- No experience is required. Ages 7+.
- Please meet us at the white TBG trailer in Kaiteriteri, approximately opposite the boat wash station near 3 Riwaka-Kaiteriteri Road, at 7:30 am. Here, we’ll have registration and gear fitting with your friendly snorkel guide (or you may bring your own gear- no full face masks, please, for safety reasons). We provide free gear hire of snorkel, mask, fins, wetsuits, boogie boards and fish ID charts.
- We will be ready to board the boat with our gear at 8:30 for a 9:00 am departure. We will see some sites along the way and arrive at Tonga Quarry around 10.30 am. We’ll depart from Tonga Quarry Beach at 3:10 pm and return to Kaiteriteri at approximately 4:20 pm.
- PLEASE BE PROMPT, as the sea shuttle will not wait.
- There will be three snorkel rotations, with a chance to go for a bush walk or relax on the beach when it is not your turn. Please bring food and water for yourself for the day. You’ll have a safety briefing before you try out your gear in the shallows and explore the water with your guide and group for up to 45 minutes. Keep an eye out for blue cod, spotties, wrasse, squid, kahawai, goatfish, triple fins, eagle rays and octopus!
- PLUS when you are not snorkelling there will be an opportunity to investigate the nearby freshwater stream and find out how healthy it is using our SHMAK (Stream Health Monitoring Assessment Kit). We will look at the temperature, clarity, flow and macroinvertebrates (bugs) in the stream.
This event is made possible with Department of Conservation (DOC), Water Safety NZ and Abel Tasman Sea Shuttles sponsorship.
KOHA WELCOMED: DONATE HERE
RAFFLE and MERCHANDISE will be available so bring cash as eftpos will not be available.
Check out our frequently asked questions.
If you need to cancel your registration click here.
*This event is for locals and NZ residents and not a tourist activity. We love tourists don’t get us wrong! However the sponsors of this event want it to be a treat for locals and other NZ residents. Thank you for understanding.
