Hi I'm an American diver traveling in New Zealand

[LadyNigelia]

Hi! I did my dive training in Chicago and I'm currently solo on the north island of New Zealand (Bay of Plenty); I'll be heading to the South Island in a couple of weeks.
I'm Looking for informative on where and how to dive for reasonable prices. Seems like most things I find online are very touristy and I want more of the local flavor.
Any tips or other people in the area?

 

[descent]

How is your trip going so far? New Zealand is a once-in-a-lifetime destination for many of us.

Hope the diving is good. Welcome to ScubaBoard.