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Wreck Dive: HMNZS Waikato
Under full steam
The HMNZS Waikato was built for the New Zealand Navy by Harland & Wolfe Ltd in Belfast. She was the first Leander Class frigate to be built for the Royal New Zealand Navy and was launched by HRH Princess Alexandra on 18 February 1965.
The Waikato and the HMNZS Canterbury served the Armilla patrol during the Falklands conflict, freeing British ships for deployment.
In 2000 the Waikato was sunk as an artifical reef outside Tutukaka in Northland, after she was decommissioned in 1998 and had been stripped leaving her gun turret and one propeller.
During service she carried modern air and surface warning radar and navigation aids along with undersea detection equipment. The ships twin 115mm guns (4.5in) had a long range and a high rate of fire. She also wore two 20mm Orlikeon machine guns on the wings, a quad Seacat anti-aircraft missile launcher, six 12.75m anti-submarine torpedo tubes, one anti-submarine warfare Limbo mortar Mark 10 and a Wasp Helicopter capable of delivering depth charges and the Mark 46 anti-submarine torpedo.
The ships crest features a Taniwha, a water monster and legendary guardian of the Waikato people and their river.
The HMNZS Waikato broke in two a couple of years after her sinking.
One of the Northland storms sent the bow about 12m apart from the stern section – the ship has broken apart just in front of the bridge.
Bow section / Photograph by Pete Mesley
Diving the wreck of the Waikato is relatively easy although she is a deep dive.
The hangar sits in around 19m. Moving past the hangar to the sand sees you in around 27m.
She is pretty easy to find providing the weather plays ball.
There are normally two buoys on the wreck – one on the bow section and one on the stern next to the helicopter hangar.
She is a large ship, easy to navigate (on the outside for your first few dives) with a lot of interesting features and a lot of growth (as you would expect after 11 years underwater).
Magenta jewel anemones, schooling fish, crayfish all make their home on this artificial reef.
The HMNZS Waikato and her sister ship HMNZS Canterbury are two of my favourite wreck dives that I can visit time and time again and find something new each time.
I regularly take students on their first wreck dive on this ship, whilst on a separate dive with one of my buddies, we can spend an hour on the bottom covering small sections each time.
A piece of New Zealand history underwater, it is not uncommon to find a diver that served on her or knew someone who did.
I would love to hear if you have dived this wreck – let me know what you think.
If you have not, and would like to, let me know.
A recent dive with Deralie on HMNZS Waikato
More information:
Official Website of the HMNZS Waikato Association
Wreck diving with Yukon Dive Charters
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Franc Wollf
