Kidnappers Cove and Gannets

It's an overcast start to Saturday as William drives the car toward Kidnapper's Cove.  We have signed up for a four hour tractor ride via the beach to Kidnapper's Cove and the gannet colonies.  The tour departure times are based upon the tides and this week they vary from 7 to 11 am.  Last week they were in the afternoon to early evening.

Promptly at 10am Colin and two other drivers arrive in tractors with their double trailers in tow.  Ten minutes later everyone has boarded the trailers, we've had our welcome and safety briefing, and we are off!

Along the nine kilometer trek out to the point of Kidnapper's Cove the tractor/trailers stop or get stuck five times. Sometimes our drivers get out and break up the soft rocks.  In other instances most everyone on the trailer must get off and walk a short distance while the drivers jockey the tractors/trailers over soft sand and/or rocks.

The cliffs show the layers of sediment and rocks that have formed over time.  At two points along the cliffs we can distinctly see the fault lines from an earthquake - the layers of sediment/rocks are shifted by four to nine meters.

There are two colonies of gannets in Kidnapper's Cove, one about three-quarters to the point along the cliffs and the other at the point.  The drivers park the tractors near point and we're given an hour and 15 minutes to explore.  The walk to the gannet colony is 1.5 km ... very much uphill.  The sun has begun to peek from behind the clouds and if it wasn't for the cool sea breeze it would be a very hot hike.  The path is alongside cow pastures then expansive (dry) grasslands.

The gannets have nested literally at the point of Kidnapper's Cove.  It is a large colony and while the birds are amazing, the area also has an incredible odor!  They nest here for about four months each year, during which time the eggs hatch and the chicks add size and weight.  When it is almost full size and is plump at some point the chick determines it is time to fly.  On it's initial flight it flies to Australia!  There it matures further and three to four years later begins returning to New Zealand annually for mating.  According to our driver Colin, gannets live about 25 years, most of it on the sea.

The tide is further out and on the return trip only two stops are needed for stuck tractors/trailers. This time William and I are on the cliffside and are able to see some of the canyons carved by waterfalls and wind from the cliffs.

We return to our starting point four hours and twenty minutes after our departure.  Although we may be stiff tomorrow from the trailer jostling us about, this has been an incredible experience, one that we would recommend to everyone.