Muriwai Gannet Colony

Australasian gannets nest in dense colonies on flat ground, and at Muriwai they nest on a headland and a stack immediately below purpose-built viewing platforms - so you look down on several thousand birds from a few metres, which is unusual anywhere in the world for a seabird colony. The birds began using the mainland headland in the 1970s after the stack filled up. Nests sit almost exactly one pecking distance apart, which is visible from above as a regular grid. The birds arrive from around August, lay in spring, and the last of the young leave by about February - after which the colony is largely empty and the trip is not worth making for birds. Below the cliffs is Muriwai Beach, a long black-sand surf beach patrolled in summer, with the same Tasman rips as the rest of this coast. The site has toilets and a cafe nearby, unlike most of the west coast beaches.

What you actually see

• The nesting grid - thousands of birds spaced a peck apart.
• The viewing platforms - looking down into the colony from metres away.
• The fledging - young birds leaving between January and February.
• Muriwai Beach - the black-sand surf beach below.

When to go

August to February, with November to January the fullest. Outside that window the colony empties and there is little to see. Mornings are calmer for photography.

Honest expectations

It is loud and it smells - a working seabird colony does. Stay behind the barriers; birds nest right up to them. The clifftop is windy and exposed. Swimming below is only safe between the flags.

Nearby

Bethells is south along the coast; Kumeu's wineries are inland.