cape kidnappers

Amazing trip along the coast on a trailer. Brilliant drivers/guides. Unbelievable sights.Nothing to dislike

We took the tractor ride and found it definitely worth it. The rocky beach is wonderful and, at the end of a 20-min climb, you reach the main gannet colony. These birds are truly amazing! You walk right up to the colony to see them, but bring binoculars if you also want to look for other wildlife - we could spot a couple of sea lions on the cliff, oystercatchers, various gulls, terns, shags and even a heron!

We walked from Clifton to the Plateau colony. If you ever studied geography at high school and had a teacher as passionate as I did about the formation of the three rocks we call NZ you'll love the walk along the beach. The walk was spoiled a little by idiots on quad bikes. You're unlikely to have the same problem because we did the walk during the Christmas holidays.Strongly recommend you wear shoes. 18km is a lonnng way in bare feet!

This tour combines great fun with amazing wildlife encounters. The tractor ride along the tide is a hoot and saves your energy for the 30 minute assent up the bluff to the gannet colony. The narration is excellent and the cost reasonable. The gannets in summer are a special sight. The best attraction in Hawke's Bay.

This is certainly a must see if you are in the area. Five of us went along for the safari and a beautiful day of hiking, touring, a picnic lunch, and humor. Our tractor driver (Brian) was fantastic and truly made the day and the trip in and out loads of fun.

The reviews here seem confusing because some of them are about doing your own trip to Cape Kidnappers and some are about the Gannet Safari, which is a guided tour. It sounds as though the people doing it on their own have a difficult time getting to Cape Kidnappers....I don't know. What I do know is that we went on a guided tour with Gannet Safari to see the Gannet Colony and it was one of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand. We went in November, 2014. The three hour trip was fabulous and we went on a private road to a remote area of the Cape. The drive there was gorgeous with green hills and valleys, beautiful turquoise-colored water, and sheep and cattle on the sides of the road....a truly amazing experience. At the top of the Cape we came upon a huge colony of gannets nesting. They are a New Zealand and Australia bird...white with black edges on their wings and golden heads. We could get quite close to them as they are not afraid of people. We reserved the group morning tour ahead of time but no other customers came, so we had a private tour for the price of a group tour. Our guide was wonderful and we highly recommend this tour.

Just incredible!What more can I say?!We took this tour directly from our cruise ship docked in Napier & headed out over the gorgeous hills to Cape Kidnappers. Our bus driver & guide was fantastic...he really knew his stuff & was enthusiastic about it.The scenery was spectacular, from the road through the pine forests, the working sheep farms & the incredible cliffs of the Cape. The birds were beautiful....very pretty, beautifully marked & we were lucky enough to watch a young pair of gannets courting...their dance was magic. It was a surreal experience & one that I would recommend to everyone. To see so many thousands of birds nesting on the cliff tops & to be so close was just incredible.The drive back through to the Safari headquarters was just as spectacular & the delicious afternoon tea was much appreciated.I cannot recommend this tour highly enough...a must see for all ages.

Booked in advance from Aussie and took my Mum who had this tour on her wish list. Went on the tractor/trailer tour which was heaps of fun, beautiful scenery and an informative and enthusiastic driver made for an awesome day, we would highly recommend.

For an great afternoon adventure a visit to the Cape is a great way to finish a day. Take some food and enjoy the tractor / trailer ride along the coast to the drop off point. Have a bite to eat and head up to the top to see the Gannets. Great trip

Although one can go by tractor trailer (for a cost), for free you can do the approx. 8.5km walk from Clifton Camp. Will cost $1 to go through the camp to the nearest car park. It's worth it as it's less walking & you can use the camp toilets, showers etc. There is a shop at the camp & a cafe not far away. This is one coastal walk where I found myself looking inland more than out to sea as the stratification & geology of the cliffs is fascinating. Worth reading the information panels at the shelter/toilets as you leave the beach for the 20min climb up to the Gannet colony. Best to do in summer as birds will have chicks. Be aware of sunburn & dehydration, & at colony, the smell if wind in wrong direction. WARNING: Leave a couple of hours after high tide so as to enjoy the walk with no risk of getting caught against the cliffs hundreds of meters high.

I did the trip on the tractor a few years ago. It was an amazing experience and was up there among the best of my time in New Zealand. The guy driving the tractor was an absolute scream and did not disappoint his captive audience. The walk/climb up to the gannet colony was spectacular although it was also quite tough and not for the unfit. On arrival the sight of all the gannets is stunning(although a bit smelly). I have great memories of this trip,one of them was getting soaked by the Pacific Ocean courtesy of our tour guide. Absolutely brilliant.

Took a bus to see Gannet colonies. It was worth the effort. We took lots of good photos. It was a little chilly.

I used to travel out to the Cape as a young boy. My dad even used to drive the tractors out there before the overland track existed. I used to love heading out there during school holidays for a swim and some fishing. Having been back there recently it is still just as I remembered. I still prefer going along the beach as opposed to overland. It is fun having to beat the tide to get out there! There are a few things you need to before you head out, and after reading some of the reviews it is obvious that these things are clear:1) Cape Kidnappers is not accessible by car - you either need to park at the dodgy looking camping ground (with its deliverance-esque inhabitants) and walk along the beach, or you need to book on one of the tour trips at Hasting or Napier information centres.2) If you are taking the beach then it is only accessible during low tide. If you are walking then you need to leave about 2 hours before low tide and head back just after low tide. If you don't then you may be stuck there for the night. 3) The gannets smell - they are wild birds and aren't toilet trained so be prepared. 4) If you are walking then let someone know that you are going. The beach is exposed and windswept so it is best done on a fine sunny day but the weather can change out there pretty quickly. When you get to the end of the Cape there is a track up and over that brings you to the Gannet colony. From there you have awesome views back to Napier, across to Mahia and down the coast to Waimarama and Ocean Beach. Enjoy!

arriving here was a real treat 8,000 acres of private farm land golf wild life comfortable lodge and the best food served so far on North Island .An expensive but excellent experience well worth the money .Very good cellar and knowledgable sommelier.well worth a visit

We went to the gannet colony by van arranged by the cruise company. We got to see one colony up close and two more from afar. We also got to see the beautiful landscape and here the stories from the knowledgable van drivers lastly we made a stop to see the club house of the exclusive golf course. I took some pictures of some kiwi sculptures. While I'm usually only interested in penguins this was a very enjoyable morning. Although it would not have been as much fun without the knowledgeable guides.