Cape Kidnappers
By Heather Hapeta
"It's absolutely amazing. I had no idea that you could get so near to them." Gary, from England, is astonished. "So close they're touchable!"
Cape Kidnappers Gannet Reserve is the main reason he has come to Napier and already his trip has been worth it. It's great to see his joy in one of my favourite places.
Face to face the birds are amazing. With a wingspan of 1.8 to 2 metres, these members of the booby family live here - the largest, and most spectacular, mainland gannet nesting colony in the world. Their pale honey-gold heads and Cleopatra eyes are impressive singly, however, when multiplied by 15,000 they're spectacular and watching them swoop and dive for fish is wonderful.
"Whew, it smells like a zoo," another of my companions says when we arrive at the Black Reef colony. It’s early in the nesting season and most birds are sitting on eggs, although some newly-hatched chicks are visible from under their parents' protective feathers: little bundles of white fluff oblivious to the pungent odour.
Over-head, adults are gliding, soaring, hovering, bringing gifts of seaweed streamers to their partner and fish for the youngsters who have to develop before they to fly to Australia in only a few weeks. As the adults land, they greet each other, necking and preening as they reunite.
An early morning start from the centre of Napier had us arriving at the beach three hours after the tide started to ebb. Rex, our shuttle bus driver, gave us five hours to complete the 16 kilometre walk and be back at Clifton for him to return us to our accommodation before the tide trapped us.
Some of the other visitors to the three colonies which make up the Gannet Reserve were a Canadian woman who had arrived by quad bike; a ten year old, visiting with his class, who tells me "It stinks"; a Dutch sculptor who says, "It’s inspiring"; and a young Australian woman who puffs, "It’s well worth the climb" as she reaches the main Plateau Colony - a 20 minute walk up from the beach where the Black Reef colony is.
Awarding-winning Wellington artist Rosemary Mortimer is here to revisit the dramatic landscape. Her exhibition Journey to Cape Kidnappers concentrated on the cliff fault-lines. She said Cape Kidnappers is unique, with different elements combining into powerful images. Enjoying our picnic and view, we concur.
Shaun, from Rotterdam thought the walk under the towering cliffs was really great, “People need to know how good the walk is, I really loved it," he tells me. "It’s the best part of the day, even better than the birds." Many people and many opinions – all agreeing it’s well worth the visit.
There are other ways to get here: Quad bikes are popular - it’s fun to slowly carve your way over and around the rocks while dodging waves lapping at your feet. For over 40 years a tractor and trailer journey along the beach has been an enjoyable way to visit the colony, and the driver stops along the way to explain the physical features as well as information about the birds.
An ex-army vehicle called a unimog is a quick and easy way to get to the Cape as a taped commentary tells of the earth's movements that created this scene. Like the tractor option, the unimog will pick you up from the Napier Visitors Centre or you can meet at Clifton where the walkers start. It travels overland through native bush and rolling pastures to within a few feet of the birds. As no walking is involved this is particularly suitable for those who cannot or don't wish to walk. An advantage of this option is that it is not tide-dependent, so it leaves at a regular time daily - unlike the other options that change daily to accommodate the tide.
November to April is the best time to visit these dual citizen birds.
