New Zealand
Cape Kidnappers
Twenty thousand gannets crowd crumbling sandstone pillars above a coast Cook named for an abduction.
Twenty thousand gannets crowd the sandstone pillars, their noise audible before the colony comes into view. Cape Kidnappers at the southern end of Hawke's Bay hosts the world's largest mainland gannet colony, and the birds allow you close enough to feel the wind from their wings.
The colony occupies eroding sandstone pillars at the cape's tip, accessible either by a low-tide beach walk from Clifton or by overland farm track. The beach route requires tide timing — being caught by the incoming sea against the cliffs is genuinely dangerous. The sandstone strata display geological layers spanning millions of years, visible in the cliff face during the walk. The gannets return from their Australian breeding colonies each year from July, with chicks visible from November. The cape was named by Captain Cook in 1769 after Māori attempted to take a Tahitian crew member from his ship.
Solo
The beach walk at low tide is a timed challenge — calculating the tidal window adds an edge to the solitude. The colony at the end is the payoff.
Couple
The overland track by guided vehicle reaches the colony without the tide risk. Sitting among twenty thousand birds, with the Pacific below, is sensory overload of the best kind.
Family
The tractor-trailer tours from the farm are safe, guided, and place children within arm's reach of nesting gannets. The birds' indifference to humans delights every age.
- Twenty thousand Australasian gannets nest on sandstone pillars that crumble into the sea below.
- The colony is the largest mainland gannet colony in the world — the birds are fearless at arm's length.
- Access is only at low tide along a beach beneath eroding cliffs, or by overland farm track.
- The sandstone pillars are striped with geological layers spanning millions of years, visible from the walking track.
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers serves estate-raised lamb with vineyard views.
Clifton Bay oysters shucked at the Elephant Hill winery restaurant.
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