Private tour to Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony

We had a fantastic afternoon ! Our guide was the best - bringing in his experience as a Shepard on the property and local historical knowledge to relay great stories ! Highly recommend the personal tour as a brilliant thing to do.

The tour goes through a private piece of land, where there is several species of birds and trees - great view from the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean. The encounter with the gannet colony is up close, as if the birds understand they are safe on their side of the barrier. Mature, juvenile and baby birds are there and communicate with one another, fight, teach, feed... The guides were friendly and set up a small morning tea which helps forget the smell of the colony.

Years ago I went by tractor along the beach to the see gannet colony, but a massive slip has now ended that route. How wonderful therefore that today we were able to travel overland by four wheel drive bus to the same destination. It was fabulous! Our driver David imparted his knowledge with enthusiasm and passion as we drove through the Cape Kidnappers reserve. I was unaware that a huge effort is underway to restore the native bird life to the area and of the massive pest eradication programme. David is part of this effort and is clearly very knowledgeable and proud of the results achieved to date. The gannets are fabulous. You can get so close to them and observe their behaviour as they go about their daily lives. David told us the meanings behind some of the behaviours we saw in the birds. There was even a lovely morning tea set up for us. It's great to return to a place from one's past that's better than remembered, and that was most certainly the case. Get out there Kiwis and explore your backyard. This operator will not disappoint.