The Muriwai Gannet Colony

There are three Australasian gannet nesting colonies on New Zealand's mainland, one at Farewell Spit at the very Northern tip of the South Island, one at Cape Kidnappers near Napier, and this one, at Muriwai beach North West of New Zealand's largest city, Auckland.

Muriwai is one of Auckland's so-called "West Coast" beaches, with good fishing, strong winds and rough waves.  These conditions attract not only the gannets, but also surfers, who you can just see as small dots immediately to the right of the top of this gannet nesting rock.

In 1975 the birds were out of space and started nesting on the mainland proper.   At the top left of this photo you can see one of the viewing platforms packed with onlookers which provide a good view of the birds while keeping people at a safe distance.  You can also get a good idea of how wild the coastline is in these parts.   In the foreground you can see the long stalks of the native flax, which provided materials for the native Maori people to build mats, bags and skirts, and whose flowers provide food for native birds like the tui.

You can often see the gannets soaring around the cliffs on the ever-present winds.   As you might expect of a maritime bird, they're very good at gliding, with wingspans up to 180cm (around six feet).