It’s been a conflicting journey to this point.
We’re no longer the naive travellers, in bum-bag and jandals, staring agog at the world.
We know we’re harming the places we love – with every flight, drive and step we take to get there. The global “War on Tourism” has seen overcrowded waterways in Venice and forbidden beaches in Thailand.
It’s even washed up on New Zealand’s shores with the occasional rāhui placed on bits of New Zealand’s coastline and forests, after seeing negative effects from increased visitor numbers.
Being a conscientious, conservation-minded tourist can sometimes feel like treading on eggshells.
But across the country there’s a “regenerative revolution” which is beginning to change this.
In the Hauraki Gulf, Adam Whatton, co-owner and director of Waiheke Dive and Snorkel, is one of the new breed of New Zealand tour operators looking to repair people’s trust in travel and mend some of the problems affecting the places they visit.
“People know what we do for the marine environment, so maybe we get a bit more of a pass for the tourism activities,” he says.
In just over four years, the relatively new dive shop has managed to get deep in the fabric of the island. An impressive job considering the tight Waiheke community.
Recently removing a quarter ton of waste from under Matiatia Wharf, they see the benefit of having the dive shop on the island. As do their customers, who know that their PADI course is funding such projects. Or, that they can take part in clean up dives, crayfish surveys or kelp gardening projects.
More than just “do no harm”, Whatton wants to see the area improve with every dive.
From the beginning in 2019 the dive shop has been part of the Waiheke Marine Project, a collaborative between boaties, tourism operators and the Mana Whenua, Ngāti Paoa, to help improve the ecology of Tīkapa Moana (Hauraki Gulf).
