Muriwai Beach

Muriwai’s claim to fame is the colony of Gannets that nest and rear chicks on the sea stacks and bluffs. Summertime is Gannettime at Muriwai…by May everyone flies the coup, the little ones to Oz and the parents to ??? Why these Gannets prefer Muriwai (or Napier’s Cape Kidnappers) is anyone’s guess. My guess is they like to nest where they know a gaggle of tourists will come to photograph them. I wonder if Gannets have terms like “gaggle” or “pride” or “school” to describe a clustered bunch of camera-toting humans all elbow-to-elbow at guard-railed overlooks. Perhaps a “frenzy?”

OKOK, enough of my knee-slapping wit. Muriwai and its Gannets are pretty scenic and the birds are interesting to watch…they fly, they soar, they dive…they mate for life…they nest on the same mound every year! All kinds of plaques at the overlooks explain all kinds of Gannet facts.

Besides the Gannets, Muriwai seems famous with photographers also. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, the sea-cut cliffs of Muriwai are different from the other west coast beaches—eroded mudstone instead of basalt. Second, Muriwai has large tide-pool terraces that make fabulous foreground features in sunset photos.

Two walking tracks also start near Muriwai—the Te Henga 8km Walkway to Bethell’s Beach and the Goldie’s Bush/Mokoroa Stream loop. Both tracks begin on Constable road a few km south of Muriwai beach.

Excerpt from "NZ Frenzy Guidebook" by Scott Cook