KEY POINTS:
An international marketing campaign to promote New Zealand's newest diving attraction is being held up because the trust that sunk the Canterbury has to pay off a $150,000 debt.
The former Navy frigate HMNZS Canterbury was scuttled in Deep Water Cove on November 3 by the Bay of Islands Canterbury Trust, a collaboration between business and community leaders and the Ngati Kuta and Patukeha hapu.
Trust spokesman Kelly Weeds said the wreck was in excellent condition for diving, with superb visibility. Dozens of people had made the dive since it was declared safe a few days after the sinking.
Mr Weeds said the trust was working on an international campaign to promote the wreck, but the plan was held up by the trust's debt.
"We need to start marketing the Canterbury site and the wider bay, but we have no money to do so yet," Mr Weeds said.
"We still have a debt of about $150,000 and we have to pay that off before we can start the campaign. People have generously been waiting for their money from us, but they won't wait forever and we really want to get them paid off as soon as possible so we can start the marketing."
He said Northland Dive and Dive HQ, both members of the trust, had taken many divers to the wreck after paying diving fees to the trust.
Mr Weeds said the Canterbury was standing upright in very clear water, and was teeming with fish and other marine life.
"When we made the decision to sink her there some people questioned why - but the reason was evident during last weekend ... We had to cancel dives to the Rainbow Warrior [off the Cavalli Islands] because of the weather, but the cove is more sheltered and we could still dive the Canterbury."
The 3000-tonne Canterbury makes up part of a chain of wrecks scuttled off Northland's coast, including former Navy frigate Waikato and survey vessel Tui - both sunk off Tutukaka - and the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior, sunk off Matauri Bay.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
