Gannets

The surges last night must have been quite a bit bigger than I'd given them credit for as the large log that was about 10m down the beach from me had disappeared this morning!  Maybe that was a gentle reminder to be a little less blasé about parking too close to the water's edge.  Mental note to add a bit more caution to my overnighting.

The sun came out after a bit of a slow start and I tootled my way through the day until after lunch when I headed down to the Gannet Beach Adventures.  The surges were still evident but the decision was made by the bosses that the combination of reducing surges and outgoing tide would be fine so, at 3.00pm the real adventure began.  (It crossed my mind as we gathered that, if I were at work, this would be the end of the day and here I was just beginning the fun stuff!)  Despite having done it previously, I was still very excited by the prospect of the adventure ahead....

I couldn't begin to describe the whole journey.  The company's website sums things up well:
"Where else in the world can you jump on the back of a trailer and get towed along the beach by a 1949 Minneapolis-Moline tractor to a bird colony?"

The company itself was out of action for almost 2 years following a massive slip along the cliffs in 2019 but fortunately they were given the go-ahead to resume for this summer season.

The gannets were of course, great, but the whole adventure was oustanding........fascinating insights into the geology and history of Cape Kidnappers and a walk from the beach to the colony itself that raised my heart rate to its maximum 156 and put a massive dent in my daily 10,000 steps!  I'll sleep well tonight I'm sure........

If you're a Kiwi in NZ and you haven't done this tour, I can highly recommend it.  I did consider whether I'd do the (more expensive) bus tour, but the tractors were the big drawcard.  As the company says......where in the world could you do this?  Only in New Zealand.  The exercise is just a bonus ;)

Extras:
Gannet stare-down
Gannet chick singing for his supper
The hike up the hill (tractor mid-frame, on beach just above rocks)

Check out this photostream of images for a more comprehensive peek at the whole adventure.