Gannet Colony - Gannet Colony

What's going on, you gannets? 

That's what Finn and I thought when we visited the Gannet Colony together. My time in Hobbiton and as a tour guide has come to an end, and I had a very emotional farewell from this fantastic job and the amazing team. Moreover, it hit me all at once that my time in New Zealand is also coming to an end when my time in Hobbiton ends. I had my last working day on January 2nd, and my flight to Fiji is on January 8th. Selling Fridolin-Ferdinand was also quite emotional since Fridolin was consistently the only constant in New Zealand and my more or less home. In the end, I am very happy that I could hand him over to good hands and that the sale also went smoothly and unexpectedly quickly. I hope he (renamed as Fritte) provides loyal service to his two new owners - a couple from Hamburg - and brings them as many beautiful memories as he did for me. 

I've also had a few last tasks to complete before leaving New Zealand and used the two days after work ended to cut the last ties and prepare to leave the country. That also meant packing. And as always, people: How can one person have sooooo much stuff? I left some of my clothes in New Zealand and gave them to friends. I also sent a 5-kilogram package home. We're curious if it actually arrives home. Currently, according to tracking, it’s at customs in Vienna. (Hopefully, they are satisfied with my rather poor customs declaration and the package will be sent home). 

Since there were still a few more days between my last day and my flight, I used this time to go on an adventure with Finn. Finn is an absolutely fantastic person with a super interesting personality, and my dear Finn has a Ph.D. in birds. In short, not a bird passes by that I don't think of Finn. So it was at the very top of our wish list to visit the gannet colony in the east of Auckland. Said and done:

Gannets usually do not nest on the main islands (or the mainland) since nesting sites are too susceptible to predators. However, since New Zealand (at that time) had no predators like weasels, possums, etc., the gannets settled here and have stayed. Moreover, the DOC (Department of Conservation) is now trying to expel and keep the dangerous predators, now considered pests, with cages, 1080 (poison), and special fences. Additionally, these cliffs are perfect for the gannets because there are always winds here, and if the winds are insufficient, they can simply dive off the cliffs to take off. Gannets are quite large sea birds, and just like albatrosses, they have trouble getting their large bodies into motion or into the air.

Finn told me a lot about the birds and what fascinates them so much about these creatures. For instance, that the bodies of the gannets are built like torpedoes and that they dive several meters deep to catch their prey. They fly over the prey, pull in their wings, and dive into the water like torpedoes to catch their prey. Finn has particularly studied the behavior of birds and thus could tell me quite a bit about the welcoming ceremony of the gannets, as gannets and nearly all other bird species live monogamously. While one parent watches over the chick, the other searches for food miles out at sea. When the birds meet again at the breeding site, they rub and clack their beaks and heads together. It's truly a beautiful sight. 

From the paths that were laid out here, we really had a fantastic view, and we could look into the nests of the gannets and also take a close look at a few chicks. Additionally, I also had a perfect luck photo moment with a flying gannet.

After the gannet trip, we drove to our accommodation in the east and played a bit of pool there before heading to a small reserve to watch the sunset. While waiting for the sunset, I even got to watch a gannet hunting. What a stroke of luck. 

And the next day, we went to Goat Island Reserve and went snorkeling together. More on that in the next post. 

Your Britta