Coastal walking (2) and (3) - Maraetai and Muriwai Beach

Still in June and much closer to home we headed out to Maraetai, coastal walking on the Tamaki Strait (still east coast), 40 mins from St Heliers.  The sun was shining for a change - for a while at least.  And Roy makes a mean picnic.

For a small nation New Zealand does some things remarkably well.  DOC (Dept of Conservation) has care of pretty much all the land everywhere that's not privately owned.  That's a shed-load of land to look after!  But everywhere we've been we've been surprised at how well-managed it all is.  Maraetai was no exception.  A wide tarmac path, suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, has been put in for miles along the coastline.  It's impressive commitment to local communities.

Once we'd found where to start the walk (they updated the walk website following Roy's feedback) we enjoyed the cliff views, then sheltered under some thick trees for one very heavy rain shower...

[That's Waiheke Island in the distance]

[much more mud and less sand along this bit of coast]

The following week, a change of coast.  We drove over the harbour bridge and this time turned left.  Muriwai Beach gannet colony was our destination.  The books all wrote it up: windswept (what else?), spectacular...  Problem was there were no gannets!  Apparently during the months of June and July all the gannets head off to do their OE - 'Overseas Experience' - in Australia... No kidding!
 No-one has yet managed to explain to us why, but this is what they do.  Most Kiwis tend to go further afield for their OE (and I'm not referring to the feathered variety here).

Hence not a solitary gannet.  Just lonely bare cliff tops ... waiting....

[note the blue sky, for a change]

The young gannets stay over in Australia for 2-3 years.  Around 30% of them survive, which is frankly a rather alarming mortality rate; then from August they return to Muriwai when they're old enough to start breeding.  So, we decided to return in October (ie last weekend) and see if they were indeed back.

Yes they were.  About 1400 of them!  Lots of courting going on and nest building, in what seems a particularly precarious environment.  We watched them wheeling and calling, and then intertwining their necks in warm welcome as they landed next to their mate.  There was quite an odour...

[this is volcanic coast so the sand is really dark grey]

Never seen so many gannets before in all my life. They are indeed majestic and graceful birds.  Happily it seems the colony is continuing to grow.

The guide books also say that seeing the gannets at Muriwai is one of the top 10 things you should do in New Zealand.

Tick :)