Astrolabe Reef is near
Motiti Island, 20 kilometres NE of
Tauranga
Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...
, off the
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...
coast in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. The
reef
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...
, which breaks the water surface at low tide, is a renowned
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
spot that drops off to in different parts. The reef was named by
Jules Dumont d'Urville
Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville (; 23 May 1790 – 8 May 1842) was a French explorer and naval officer who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. As a botanist and cartographer, he gave his nam ...
after his ship ''
Astrolabe
An astrolabe ( grc, ἀστρολάβος ; ar, ٱلأَسْطُرلاب ; persian, ستارهیاب ) is an ancient astronomical instrument that was a handheld model of the universe. Its various functions also make it an elaborate inclin ...
'', when it nearly ran aground there on 16 February 1827.
Grounding of ''Rena''
On Wednesday, 5 October 2011, the container ship
ran aground on the reef. By Sunday, 9 October, a oil-slick threatened wildlife and the area's rich fishing waters. By 13 October the ship had started to list and rock in the waves. Over 88 containers, some containing dangerous chemicals, fell into the sea and some washed ashore. The wreck broke in two during stormy weather on 7 January 2012.
An exclusion zone was placed around the wreck during salvage and recovery operations, and this lasted until April 2016, when the reef was re-opened to vessels under . The reef and the unsalvaged remains of the ''Rena'' have now become a popular dive site.
See also
*
Lists of shipwrecks
This is an index of lists of shipwrecks, sorted by different criteria.
By location
* List of shipwrecks of Africa
* List of shipwrecks of Asia
* List of shipwrecks of Europe
** List of shipwrecks of France
** List of shipwrecks of the Uni ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Information and photograph of MV RenaFootage of deep sea fishing on Astrolabe Reef3D image of Astrolabe Reef
Landforms of the Bay of Plenty Region
Reefs of New Zealand
Reefs of the Pacific Ocean