I had stumbled onto a website on Muriwai Beach on a very late night. The very next morning,
I had packed my gear and set off searching for it.
Muriwai Beach is a local secret. It’s seldom mentioned in travel books. And you can see why they’ve kept it private -
This place is home to a huge colony of gannets. There are so many of them! They were eating, cleaning, chatting, mating, resting, flying and hunting.
It is a photography enthusiast’s dream spot. You can literally stand there for hours, snapping at the birds and waters. Waiting for light and sunset (it faces west).
Can you spot a gannet bird in the mass that was nursing a serious wound? It was badly injured.
I used a Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 with my Canon 500D for these shots. It was the perfect lens to use because I managed to get great panoramic shots as well as close up shots of the gannets without having to switch lens.
If you ever visit NZ, do check this place out.
- by StoryofBing
I am packing my bag now.. Wait for me NZ!
beautiful beach and pretty gannets.
The birds really give this place extra beauty. I looed, but I don’t see the injured bird.
Ratty: It’s on the last picture. Top right corner. She is painted in red. Really a gruesome wound.
I spotted the wounded gannet bird. These birds should be taken care of.
That’s wonderful photos about the gannet colony, a magnificent sea bird.
It is really a good place for photography and is my dreamland.
I’ll go there during my sleeping time.
Beautiful impressions from the island. And I must say once more, the Rock at second pic looks like the Rock “Long Anna” from Helogoland, the island in North Sea. There are also lots of birds, our Vips…
Servus and have a nice day
Kvelli
I saw the injured bird with the bloody chest!
Your pictures are just fantastic.
What a beautiful place. You captured it perfectly, now I want to go
These are wonderful pictures. I have never seen that kind of bird before. That is so neat that they are all in the same spot. The poor bird that is injured. I guess the other ones will attack it. Too bad it cannot be helped.
wow… very beautiful place
Thanks for your comments, everyone. You’re very encouraging!
I just got back from a trip down to the South Island of New Zealand. Another short but fantastic trip, I was lucky, got quite a few great shots. I’ll be sorting them out and posting them soon.
Yes! The injured bird is at the top right of the photo. It was bleeding rather badly and the other birds were actually minding their own business. These birds are very fun to watch. They chat, nuzzle each other, quarrel, mate, play around, fly around, hunt or just perch on a rock and show off their glorious bodies. Very animated birds.
How very cool. I wonder if Mother Nature knows just how many ways she shows her beauty and serenity
Wow cool pictures! I am sure it was wonderful to see all these birds together.
this is truly a rare and beautiful sight… the top 2 photos are awesome!