| Birding
On My Own - Australia and New Zealand 2002 Emmalee Tarry |
Comments | Table of Contents |
North IslandNorth Island Wellington Mount Bruce Wildlife Center Napier Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony Lake Taupo Geothermal Steam Plant Rotorua Miranda Shorebird Center How To Find The Wrybill Wrybill |
 Australian Gannet Colony in the saddle at Cape Kidnappers |
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North Island
Tour I spent two nights in Wellington then drove north to Napier on Hawkes Bay to visit Cape Kidnappers and then inland to Taupo and Rotorua to look for Blue Duck and to tour the geothermal areas. . I continued north to Miranda on the Firth of Thames to look for shorebirds and then north through Auckland to the Bay of Islands where I visited Arhoa Island. The trip ended in Auckland. |
The ferry between the south island and north island runs from Picton to Wellington. The EZi Car Rental is one block from the parking lot of the ferry terminal in Picton. After you turn in your car, they drive you to the ferry terminal.
The EZi Rental Car met me at the terminal in Wellington with the new car and I drove to the YHA in downtown Wellington. The Y has a small parking area in front where you can park to unload. If this is filled you can park in the grocery store lot across the street. After that you are on your own to find a spot. I ended up 3 blocks away at the Municipal parking garage.
The next day I toured the Te Papa (Our Place in Maori) Museum which was within walking distance of the YHA. The natural history section had a mounted bird exhibit and in the children's corner there was a case with a Royal Albatross displayed standing on one wing tip. Standing in front of this display you really get a feel for what it means to have a 9 foot wingspan.
Mount Bruce National Wildlife Center
I left Wellington on a beautiful Sunday morning and headed toward Napier with a stop at Mount Bruce National Wildlife Center NZ$8. This is an outdoor zoo where endangered birds are raised in captivity for release in the sanctuaries. There is a Brown Kiwi House. This was my first time to see the Kokako or Blue Wattled Crow since I had missed it on the first trip to Tiritiri Matangi. I did see the bird in the wild on the second trip. You may also enjoy birding the many tracks inside the center. I didn't because of course it started to rain again.
Napier - Art Deco
Napier is a small town on beautiful Hawkes Bay. In 1931 most of the town of Napier was destroyed by an earthquake. It was rebuilt using the then fashionable style Art Deco. Seventy years later it is the only example in the world of a town built in the architectural style of the 1930s.
The characteristics of Art Deco are pastel colors, bold lines, and elaborate motifs especially lighting bolts and zig zag patterns. You can buy a small pamphlet and conduct your own walking tour or you can take a guided tour for NZ$8. I elected the guided tour which lasts about an hour and ends at a small museum and shop.
The YHA in Napier, across the street from the aquarium and park is housed in one of the few buildings to survive the earthquake of 1931.
Cape Kidnappers
The real reason for the trip to Napier was to visit the Australasian Gannet Colony at Cape Kidnappers about a half hour drive south along Hawkes Bay. There are two outfits that provide tours to the Gannet colony. You can make reservations for either one at the YHA. Both will pick up in Napier at the YHA and drive you to the starting point. The cheaper tour NZ$26 uses tractors to run out along the beach. The tractors are slow and the tour must be timed to avoid the high tide. You end up on the beach below the colony and to really see it you will have to climb the steep cliff. You can also walk along the beach for 12 KM and end up at the same place for free, but remember you will have go and return between tides.
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I took the more expensive tour NZ$40 using 4-wheel drive
vans. The trip over the Summerlee Station Ranch takes and hour and half . There
are views down into the steep canyons and sweeping views of Hawkes Bay on the
way out. As you can see you end up right at the edge of colony. The whole peninsula has been sold and will be developed as a golf resort for the rich and famous. The new owner is environmentally aware and is going to preserve the Gannet colony. He has already started replanting huge areas with native vegetation. The sheep ranch is also going to be preserved. |
| The overland trip takes you right next to the upper Gannet
colony where you can take close pictures of the nesting birds like the ones on
this page. The picture at the top of the page is the overview of the saddle colony as seen from the upper colony. There are some 6,500 Gannet here in 4 colonies. Two of the smaller colonies are on the beach. |
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| Gannet Safaris Overland | Phone: 06 8750 888 gannetsafaris@xtra.co.na www.gannetsafaris.com |
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