Muriwai Gannets

Muriwai, where I went bloKarting, is a black sand beach. The sand here is ferromagnetic. That means there is a lot metal in the sand and you can pick it up with a magnet.

My new friends Di and Jem are typical Aucklanders. Di's full name is Diana Tu'inukuafe. Her family is from the island of Tonga. Jem's full name is Jemini Patel. Her family is originally from India. People from many countries like to come and live in New Zealand.

Here you can see me, Terry and Melanie near the gannet colony. Gannets are sea birds with white bodies and yellow heads. They come to New Zealand for the spring and summer then leave in late fall to fly north over the Tasman Sea to Australia for the winter.

The gannets nest on rock formations just off of the shore and also on shore.

Gannets in flight.

Gannets and babies. The gannet chicks are fluffy and don't have yellow heads yet. Gannet nests are spaced regularly on the rock surface. Each nest is barely out of pecking distance of the birds around it.