Excitor facts for kids
The Excitor was a speedy boat ride for tourists in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. It ran until 2011. This boat took people on a fast trip through the beautiful bay. It went all the way out to Cape Brett.
A highlight of the trip was going through the 'Hole in the Rock'. This is a natural tunnel in the sea. The boat could only go through if the waves were not too big. The company Tourism Holdings Ltd first ran the boat. Later, InterCity took over.
Passengers sat in an open boat. They had to wear lifejackets for safety. Sometimes, waves would splash into the boat. But the boat was made to quickly drain the water out of its back.
Excitor Boats Over the Years
Three different boats were used for the Excitor experience.
Excitor I
The first boat, Excitor I, was used for six years. It made about 900 trips. In 1998, a serious event happened. The boat's gearbox broke while it was going into Cathedral Cave. The boat could not be steered.
The front of the boat hit the cave wall. Twenty-nine people had to leave the boat. They swam to the cave's entrance. The boat was pushed against the cave roof by 3-meter high waves. After 20 minutes, the driver managed to back the boat out. He called for help and picked up the passengers. One person had minor injuries. A young child got hypothermia, which means their body got too cold.
Excitor II
Around late 2002, a bigger boat called Excitor II started operating. This boat was made of wood and fiberglass. It used two 'Seafury' jetboat drives. These were built in Silverdale, Auckland. The boat had two powerful 800 hp Caterpillar engines.
Excitor II could go as fast as 46 knots. This is about 85 kilometers per hour. It could carry 46 to 54 tourists. The boat was 18 meters long and 4.2 meters wide. It needed 1.2 meters of water depth to float.
Excitor III
In October 2010, an even faster boat, Excitor III, was launched. This boat was 12.5 meters long. It was a special type of inflatable boat with a strong hull. It could carry up to 35 passengers. It went as fast as 50 knots. It had four powerful 300 hp V8 engines.
Excitor III was built by Circa Marine in Whangārei. It was made especially for the Bay of Islands. It had special seats where you sat like on a motorbike. It also had a modern hull design that made small waves. A set of stairs could come out from the front. This allowed the boat to stop at any beach in the Bay of Islands. In 2011, some passengers were hurt in incidents on the boat. Because of this, Maritime New Zealand stopped the boat from running.
