Gannet Colony at Muriwai Regional Park

Well, it hit 20 degrees yesterday (yes, that's Centigrade so it was around 67 degrees Fahrenheit) and in celebration of the warmest day since our arrival we spent our Saturday at Muriwai Regional Park (only 45 minutes from Auckland) to see the Gannet Colony. The birds are also called Takapu and there are only three maintained colonies of them in New Zealand. The gannet mate and lay a single egg and the chicks arrive 45 days later. Check out the pictures below and you will be there with us. :)

 

The black sand of Muriwai Beach




The Gannet Colony
The gannets are perched on several rock ledges like this and there are three overlooks
 for sightseers like us to stand and watch.You can see the birds flying.
I had a video I wanted to post but it wouldn't load.

   



The Regional Parks are well maintained and have nice signage to help visitors enjoy the experience.



The view as we walked back from watching the Gannets. Beautiful!



Within an hour of Auckland there are 25 regional parks, most of which are on the coastline. New Zealand is made up of stunning coastline and beautiful beaches and in this area the coast is never very far away. You'll notice that the sand at Muriwai Beach is dark. On the west side of New Zealand the Tasman Sea is rougher and the sand is dark. In contrast, on the Pacific Ocean side (the east side) the sand is made of white shells and the water and currents more calm. Either way there are plenty of people who swim on either coast. We passed a surfing class in progress as we walked towards the beach yesterday. We saw quite a few surfers in the water.



On the way home as we drive the narrow roads in New Zealand.
 No, Elder Jacobsen is not driving on the "wrong side" of the road. :)
I haven't summoned up the courage yet to drive but I will...watch out NZ!

Love and Prayers 'til our next post. :)