Australasian Gannet - Waiheke

Wow! what a majestic dive, powerful soaring, skimming the waves in formations. These birds grow to a 2 metre- width wing span and almost a metre in length,being the secong biggest sea bird to that of the Albatross. They dive, it seems, from up to 20 metres above the water, sometimes they will scoot along the water just 1 or 2 metres before, diving in at an acute angle. I have sat among a thousand of these birds circling - soaring high above, a huge ball of fish below and diving continuously around me, spalshing my kayak on entry. They will penetrate the water just like a diver from a platform with the unusual sound of the suck after entry. There are five gannet colonies around New Zealand one of which is at Gannet Rock northeast of Waheke about 2 km away. Here they nest, I think appoximantly 1500 birds each year. Unlike the gull that learn to fly from the water they hover and eventually step off to fly as juveniles and migrate to Australia. Once finding a mate, usually after a period of up to 2 or 3 years, it is believed they return to drop an egg where they were once born. A large, white egg is normally laid late August or September. Both parents incubate 42 to 44 days. The chick will fledge when 16 weeks old, happily walking about the colony, not being picked on so much then, while venturing away from the actual nest. 

Official Waiheke Website

photo courtesy - www.haurakigalleries.com