Excitor

It was used on a high-speed trip through the scenic bay out to Cape Brett, where the boat travelled through the 'Hole in the Rock', a natural sea-tunnel (wave-heights permitting).

[1][2] It was involved in a serious incident in 1998, when a mechanical failure in the gearbox linkage caused the boat to become unsteerable while entering Cathedral Cave.

[5] They were also critical of the (at that time unreleased) official incident report by the Maritime Safety Authority, which was said to have failed to address contributing factors such as the late arrival (5 pm) of the boat at the cave, the height of the swells outside the cave mouth, as well as alleged fatigue of the skipper.

The 12.5m Naiad rigid hull inflatable vessel carried up to 35 passengers at up to 50 knots, powered by 4 x 300 hp V8 engines.

Built by Whangārei-based Circa Marine, and specifically designed for conditions in the Bay of Islands, the new Excitor featured straddle seats, an ultra modern low wake hull design and a retractable set of stairs built into the bow to allow her to service any beach in the Bay of Islands.