Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony Nature and Sightseeing Tour Napier

Te Awanga and the start of the tour

The tour starts at the operator's base on Clifton Road in Te Awanga, a small seaside village on the coast of Hawke's Bay about 25 minutes' drive south-east of Napier and 20 minutes from Hastings. Look for the tour sign at the roadside; there is free parking and the vehicle leaves promptly at 09:00 or 13:30. Te Awanga is the gateway to Cape Kidnappers, and the village's beach, orchards and fruit stalls make it a pleasant place to arrive early.

From here the road ends and the cape begins: the only ways to reach the gannets are a long walk along the beach at low tide or this overland route across private farmland, which is why the Cape Kidnappers tour from Napier is the choice for families, older travellers and anyone short on time. Hotel pickup is not included, but taxis and rental cars reach Te Awanga easily.

The Cape Kidnappers headland

Cape Kidnappers, known in Māori as Te Kauwae-a-Māui, the fish-hook of Māui, is the long headland that closes the southern end of Hawke's Bay. Its cliffs rise more than a hundred metres in bands of sandstone, siltstone and ancient riverbed gravels, laid down over millions of years and tilted by earthquakes, with layers of volcanic ash from eruptions in the centre of the North Island. The driver-guide explains the geology as the 4x4 climbs through the farmland, and tells how the cape got its English name from an incident between local Māori and a visiting ship in 1769.

The route crosses a working sheep and cattle station of rolling golden hills, with stops at lookouts where the whole bay opens up towards Napier and the Mahia Peninsula. On clear days this part of the Cape Kidnappers tour is as memorable as the birds.

The gannet colony on the plateau

The plateau colony sits on the clifftop at the tip of the cape, and the vehicle drives right up to it so you are seated or standing a few metres from thousands of nesting Australasian gannets. These seabirds, members of the booby family, have white bodies, golden crowns, black-tipped wings nearly two metres across and distinctive black eye markings. They nest in serried rows, each pair guarding its mound, and perform their greeting dance of raised bills and crossed necks when a partner returns from fishing.

Overhead, birds swoop in with fish for their chicks, and the noise and smell of the colony are part of the experience. Visitors can stay as long as the schedule allows, photographing birds landing and taking off along the cliff edge. The gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers is the best place in New Zealand to see these birds up close without a boat.

The gannet season

The gannets are present at Cape Kidnappers from September to early April. They return from their winter wanderings in September to rebuild their nests, eggs are laid in spring, and the chicks hatch in December and January. Through the summer the chicks grow from grey fluff to mottled juveniles, and in late April they make their first flight, heading across the Tasman Sea to Australia without stopping, not to return for several years.

Choosing when to visit Cape Kidnappers depends on what you want to see: October and November for courtship and nest building, January and February for chicks in the nests and the busiest colony, March for the juveniles exercising their wings before departure. Our guests often say the summer months are the best time to visit the gannet colony, when both adults and young are on the plateau.

Forest, reserve and the predator-proof fence

On the way across the cape the tour stops at a production forest of planted pine, a stand of native New Zealand forest and the edge of a predator-proof reserve, one of the country's largest fenced sanctuaries, where introduced pests have been removed so that native birds such as kiwi and takahē can breed in safety. The guide explains how the fence works and why pest control matters for the gannets and the other wildlife of the cape.

These stops add context to the Cape Kidnappers nature and sightseeing tour: it is not only a bird-watching trip but a drive through a landscape being restored. Bring a jacket, as the plateau can be windy even on warm days, and comfortable shoes for the short optional walks at the lookouts; the tour can be completed entirely without walking.