Muriwai gannets back!

The world-famous gannet colony at Auckland's west coast Muriwai beach sees a staggering 1.3 million [human] visitors a year. This colony (which is only 40 minutes from downtown Auckland!), is just a few places in the world where the birds nest on the mainland. The colony at Muriwai normally begins arriving in September and departs around April, but this year quite a few birds arrived in early August.

There is no public transport out to Muriwai beach, so for tourists wanting to go there they must either use their own vehicle, or join a tour which visits the area. The Auckland ECO-tour & FARM visit tours of 'Coast to Coast Tours' includes going to this attraction on every tour, conducting a guided walk out to see the colony.

Stuart and Donna Hamilton, owner/operators of what is rated Auckland's No1 attraction on the Tripadvisor.com review website, have seen many changes to the area where their family has lived and farmed since 1922, and are able to pass on this local knowledge to their many overseas visitors.