Muriwai Beach is a coastal area in the North Island of New Zealand about 40 minutes drive from Auckland. It is a popular beach for human activities, and also a dense breeding ground for the Australasian Gannets (Morus serrator).
It is an interesting place for photographers for two rather disparate reasons. It is a beautiful and unique place for landscape photography, as well as an excellent place to photograph flight shots of the gannets due to their huge numbers. For birdwatchers it is also an excellent place to learn about the social life of the birds during their breeding period. I had an opportunity to spend an hour or so to partake in all these.
Landscape photography is not my strength, but the coast is beautiful and the dense colony serve as an excellent subject against the backdrop of high cliffs and clear blue ocean. I am afraid I do not do the place enough justice, but here are some pictures nonetheless. I think the golden hour would accentuate the beauty of the place, but I was happy enough to get sufficient light for handheld photography.
A view from the trail leading down to the inland colony.
A closer view of the colony at the rocks further away from the beach.
Pleased with the nice landscape photo moments, I next turned my focus on bird flight photography. At any one time there are probably close to 100 birds in the air at various location, and getting flight shots was a breeze. It was a matter of getting the right bird, at the right angle and with the right background.