MV Rena was a 236m long container ship that ran aground on Astrolabe Reef off the port of Tauranga on 5 October 2011.  The ship was carrying 1,368 containers, as well as 1,733 tonnes of heavy fuel oil.  Salvors were appointed on 9 October 2011, but a storm on 11 October 2011 resulted in 350 tonnes of oil being released.  The oil washed ashore at various points along the Bay of Plenty coastline and the spill was declared "New Zealand's worst ever maritime environmental disaster".  The ship was continually battered by high winds and rough seas.  In January 2012, it broke in two, and the stern section slipped down the reef to rest in about 65m of water.

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In May 2014, the owners of the Rena applied to the Regional Council for resource consent to leave the remains of the ship on the reef.  Consent was granted in February 2016 and the decision was upheld by the Environment Court in December 2017.

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The massive $700m salvage operation ended in April 2016, by which time approximately 77% of the containers had been removed, along with the entire bow section to 1m below the low tide mark, the accommodation block down to D deck, a major piece of port side and 1315 tonnes of fuel.  The exclusion zone around the reef was immediately lifted by the Harbour Master.

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We dived the Rena over an Easter long weekend, travelling to Tauranga on the Friday and then home again on the Monday.  As all accommodation in Tauranga was fully booked, we camped at Bowentown Beach and drove into Tauranga on Saturday and Sunday to meet the charter boat.  The campsite was located right on the beach and we were blessed with some spectacular sunrises and sunsets in the mornings and evenings.  The underwater images of the Rena are interspersed with some landscape shots of the beach at the campsite.