On 5 October 2011 the MV Rena astonished local mariners by grounding on the clearly marked Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty while approaching Tauranga Harbour, resulting in New Zealands largest maritime environmental disaster. The salvage operation which cost $700 million – second only to the billions spent in Italy removing the cruise ship Costa Concordia – ended in April 2016 after sea conditions had frequently hampered work. The owners and insurers received resource consent to leave a portion of the Rena on the reef. Removing the rest of the wreck would cost even more than had already been spent.

So come and join us and dive this amazing dive site and learn some of the history of this local event!