He only went out for some milk A blurb of monstrous proportions - it was only supposed to be a couple of lines and the odd photo.

Did you know that Poor Knights Island, a marine park just off the east coast of the top of the north island, has some of the best diving in the world? Jacques Cousteau apparently believed it to be the case, and of course whether or not that's true, it works well for the tourist board. So I haven't come for the beautiful green scenery, or the wonderful views, I've come for the diving and to test this claim.

It takes me 30 minutes of pure slog to carry my ever growing Bob up the hills to my hostel, and it's not long before I've chatted to all the other guests - most who've also come to dive. I meet a Dutch guy I've already dived with, it's a small friendly world and this is a small friendly hostel. It even has a resident English guy who seems to have lost track of time in the last 5 months while he's been "diving, drinking, diving, drinking", as he puts it. Could that have been me if I'd have arrived here 5 months ago?

It's an early start and i feel a bit like I'm on a production line as i check-in with the dive company. They obviously get a lot of customers and are efficient at dealing with them. It's not long before our boat speeds us to what is the biggest sea cave in the world. My Dutch buddy and i spend nearly an hour exploring it as much as we can. I'm glad that I'm not claustrophobic, for it's a truly eerie, surreal dive. Barely any light, overhanging rocks, a cave roof, dark crevices, unusual conditions, a very heavy suit and many weights plus a hood - it's easy to feel overwhelmed, and the odd glance through the 30m visibility to the incredible blue of the opening helps. This really is a one-off experience. Our second dive is perhaps even better - a huge archway in the rocks, a silly number of giant scorpion fish, moray eels (5 kinds), stingrays and a turtle. To top it all there's even a small underground cave with an air bubble inside it. Imagine swimming into a small cave and then popping your head up into a breathable air space - all of it under the sea level! Two truly awesome dives - one of the best places in the world?...I'll let you know when I've done the rest :-)

A cool couple of days, a great homely little hostel, (that even had a mouse that nibbled my dinner) and a friendly, talkative, American who very kindly gave me a lift to Auckland (thanks Eric). What a great first week in NZ!