We booked a small group tour called Black Sand Adventure from Auckland. We were picked up outside Elliot Stables, where we had dinner last night (an assortment of restaurants in an old stable building). We were the only two on the tour, and it may have been our best day yet. First, we drove over the Waitakere Range and descended to Muriwai Beach.
I had looked forward to seeing the Gannet colony, but I had no idea how close we would be able to get to the nesting Gannets.
I couldn’t believe how close we could get to the gannet colony. What is so amazing about this site is that you can get within 5 feet of nesting gannets. The amazing thing about this shot is that the first gannet is sitting on an egg, the next one has a very young chic, and the next one has an older chic. It was amazing to be so close to a nesting colony that was not disturbed by our presence.
Next, we drove to Piha Beach, where Lion Rock is one of the iconic images. Camel rock is next, then keyhole and blue hole. The views from the top of the mountain as we climbed back over to the parking lot were spectacular.
Keyhole
After our swim, we climbed over a ridge to get back to the van.