Napier Gannet Tour Overland Across The Farm Station To The Cape Kidnappers Colony
Compare Napier Gannet Tour options to the Cape Kidnappers gannet colony: overland tours, cruise shore excursions, and private and sunrise trips.
- $55Lowest From-Price
- 9Tours Listed
- 1,052Reviews, Top Tour
- Clifton Road base
- Farm station track
- Gannet colony at the cliff edge
Which Napier Gannet Tour Fits Your Group, Budget And Ship Day?
Showing a starting shortlist drawn from the best-reviewed options. Answer any question above to rebuild it around you.
Nine listings sit on this site, and all of them come from one operator: Gannet Safaris Overland. That makes the choice less about who runs the tour and more about which of the five distinct products, some listed twice on different booking pages, matches how you travel. The picker above narrows it with three taps.
The first question is your group. A shared vehicle means a per-person price and other travellers aboard; a private booking means the vehicle and guide are yours, priced per group. The second is your ship day. The third is budget. Per-person prices run from $55 to $95.42, while private bookings run from $604.00 per group of up to 4 up to $1,214.00 for the winery day, which is priced per group of up to 2.
Tap any combination and the shortlist rebuilds to match. Every listing stays reachable: a tour filtered out by one answer still appears under another, and each of the nine has its own page with dates, inclusions and the booking detail you need before committing.
Once the shortlist shortens, work through three filters in order.
Cruise passengers have only two listings that fit, and neither is a standard 3-hour tour.
Start with your ship day if you have one. The two standard 3-hour tours are not for cruise passengers. The two listings that are: 4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute Stop and 4WD Safari Vehicle, 4 Hours. Both meet in central Napier at 100 Marine Parade, a short walk from where the port shuttle drops at the Napier i-SITE, and both return you there afterwards. That geography matters on a port day when the all-aboard time is fixed.
Next, group. Shared listings price per person. Private and sunrise listings price per group, so a couple and a group of four can pay the same headline figure on some of them. Check whether the group cap is up to 4 or, on the winery day, up to 2.
Then pickup. Hotel pickup and drop-off is included on Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included, on 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included, and on the Private 7.5-Hour Winery Combo. On 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base it is an option you select at booking, otherwise you make your own way to the base at 396 Clifton Road. The shore excursions collect at the Marine Parade point only, not at hotels.
Cancellation is one thing you rarely need to weigh: all nine listings allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before start.
How Does A Napier Gannet Tour Run, From The Clifton Road Base To The Cliff Edge?
Check-in happens at the operator base at 396 Clifton Road, Te Awanga, about a 25 minute drive from Napier. Arrive with time for the bathroom, because there are no toilets on the tour and the base is the last stop with facilities. The car park is large, big enough for several motorhomes, if you are driving yourself out from Napier or Hastings.
From there you board the standard tour vehicle: an air-conditioned 4WD coach, a small bus operated by Gannet Safaris Overland. The drive out is not a shuttle transfer to a trailhead but the tour itself. The route crosses Cape Kidnappers Station, a working sheep and beef farm of about 2,500 hectares, covering some 36 km from coast to cape per the operator. Along the way the vehicle passes a predator-proof fence protecting a 200 hectare conservation area where kiwi and tuatara live, and travels through native bush and open paddocks with the coastline below.
Drivers give commentary on the land, its history and the wildlife as you go.
One practical point sets these tours apart from every self-guided option at the cape: tides do not govern the overland route. The vehicle travels above the cliff tops, so the schedule holds regardless of what the sea is doing at beach level below. That is the operator's own description of how the route works.
The destination is the Plateau colony at the cape, which DOC calls the best place to view nesting gannets, and which sits on private land. When the vehicle arrives you step onto flat ground. The operator describes the plateau as level, fitted with bench seats, and manageable for anyone who can hop on and off the bus unaided. Barriers keep visitors at a safe distance from the birds, and DOC asks people to stay behind them or at least five metres from nesting gannets.
Little or no walking is required. The operator's line is that everything can be seen from the bus, which suits travellers who would rather not take on the 19 km return beach walk or the steep 1 km climb from the beach that the DOC route involves. While you are at the colony, tea, coffee and a biscuit are served at the cliff edge.
Regular departures run daily at 9.00 am and 1.30 pm through the operator season of 1 August to 30 April.
Dogs are not allowed; the colony is a wildlife sanctuary and a DOC reserve.
How long you spend depends on which listing you book. The standard tours run about 3 hours total. The shore excursions run about 4 hours from Napier, and the itinerary on 4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute Stop puts 45 minutes at the colony itself. The vehicle then retraces the farm route back to the base, or back to Marine Parade for the shore excursions.
If you are choosing between a morning and afternoon departure, the operator FAQ addresses that directly: the birds are as active in the morning as the afternoon, and no time is better. What you see on any given day depends on the season and the stage of the breeding cycle, so treat colony sightings as seasonal rather than guaranteed.
Per the operator, private tours use a 4x4 Range Rover and take a group of up to 4, and the vehicle and guide are yours alone.
A private booking changes the vehicle and the shape of the day. The winery combo is the exception on group size, priced per group of up to 2.
The sunrise tours leave about an hour before sunrise and run about 3 hours, with breakfast folded in on 3-Hour Sunrise Tour: pastries, fresh fruit and yoghurt with plunger coffee and juice. The 4-Hour private option spends about 45 minutes at the colony per its itinerary, on Private 4-Hour Tour, with coffee and tea included.
Pickup also varies by listing. Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included and 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included both list hotel pickup and drop-off as included. 3-Hour Sunrise Tour instead meets at the base at 396 Clifton Road, so you drive yourself out in the pre-dawn dark. The winery combo adds the longest day: about 7.5 hours from roughly 8:30 am, taking in the gannet safari, two wineries including Craggy Range, and Te Mata Peak, before returning you by 4:00 pm.
Standard Napier Gannet Tour Overland Across The Farm Station
All 2 Standard Overland Gannet Tours on one page →
Both are run by Gannet Safaris Overland, and neither is set up for cruise passengers. The Meet at Base option uses an air-conditioned minivan.
3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base is from $56.23 per person. You make your own way to the Clifton Road base, about 25 minutes from Napier, and hotel pickup and drop-off is an option you select at booking rather than something included by default. This is the most reviewed listing on the site, rated 4.9 across 1,052 reviews. Coffee, tea and other beverages are included, and transport is by air-conditioned minivan.
3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price is from $55.00 per person, with no hotel pickup, meeting at the base at 396 Clifton Road. It carries a 4.8 rating across 378 reviews. Its inclusions name an experienced driver-guide, light refreshments, gannet colony viewing and comfortable air-conditioned transport.
Two listings cover the standard overland tour, and both are the same product in the same style: about 3 hours end to end, from the base at 396 Clifton Road, across the farm station to the Plateau colony, and back.
So the differences come down to three things: the small price gap, the review history, and whether you want the optional pickup add-on that 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base offers at booking, since Lowest Price has none. The experience at the colony is the same kind of outing either way.
Who These Suit
3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base suits anyone driving themselves to Te Awanga, about 25 minutes from Napier. 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price suits anyone who wants the lowest fare and drives to the Clifton Road base. No minimum age appears on any listing, so there is no stated age limit to plan around.
Mobility And Access
3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price states that walking is not required if you do not want to. The 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base listing marks the tour as not wheelchair accessible, pushchair accessible, open to service animals, and says most travellers can participate. The operator adds that the plateau at the colony is flat ground with bench seats, and that anyone who can hop on and off the bus unaided can take part.
Both listings carry free cancellation up to 24 hours before start, so a change of plan inside that window costs nothing on the booking page.
What You Can Ask For At Booking
On 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base, hotel pickup and drop-off is an option chosen at booking, so decide before you pay rather than on the day. Gannet Safaris Overland runs the overland trip in 4WD vehicles. If weather looks doubtful, the weather policy on that listing allows a different date or a full refund when conditions prevent the tour running.
Cancellation
Both standard listings allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before start on the booking page.
Napier Gannet Tour Shore Excursions For Cruise Passengers
All 2 Cruise Shore Excursions on one page →
Cruise passengers have exactly two listings to compare, and both solve the same problem: getting from a ship berthed at Napier Port to a colony that sits at the end of a farm road, inside a port day.
4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute Stop runs from $95.42 per person and is rated 4.9 across 10 reviews. It collects at 100 Marine Parade, opposite Napier Museum, and the itinerary puts 45 minutes at the colony itself within about 4 hours total. The listing caps the group at 40 travellers. Coffee or tea is included.
4WD Safari Vehicle, 4 Hours runs from $93.00 per person and has no rating yet. It meets at the pink flag area in front of the Sound Shell, next to the i-SITE, and its itinerary describes a 25 minute transfer each way plus about 3 hours guided at the colony, with hot drinks, coffee or tea included, inside a 4 hour return from Napier.
Getting to either meeting point works the same way. Passengers cannot walk out through the port, so take the free port shuttle, which drops at the Napier i-SITE at 100 Marine Parade, 1.4 km from the ship. The collection point is about 200 metres away. Hotel pickup is not part of either listing; the meeting point is central Napier only. Departure times are set for each ship, and the cruise season at Napier Port runs October to April.
The tour itself runs about 4 hours from Marine Parade back to Marine Parade. On the 2026/27 schedule examples, port stays at Napier run roughly 7.5 to 12.5 hours, and the check that matters is your ship's all-aboard time against the tour's return. Departure time is set for each ship, so the operator's timing follows the vessel rather than a fixed clock.
Time Maths For Ship Day
Here is the arithmetic. Take the all-aboard time on your ship's daily programme, subtract four hours for the tour, and subtract a buffer for the shuttle back to the port. Taxis cannot enter the port and passengers cannot walk out through it, so the shuttle is the way in and out.
The cruise season at Napier Port runs October to April, which sits inside the operator season of 1 August to 30 April.
What The Two Listings Differ On
- Price: the 4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute Stop is from $95.42 per person; 4WD Safari Vehicle, 4 Hours is from $93.00 per person.
- Ratings: the first carries 4.9 across 10 reviews; the second has no rating yet.
The free port shuttle drops at the Napier i-SITE, 1.4 km from the port, and the meeting point is about 200 metres from that drop, opposite Napier Museum at 100 Marine Parade.
Both listings offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before start, on the booking page.
One point that trips people up: the standard 3-hour tours from the Clifton Road base are not set up for cruise passengers. They meet about 25 minutes from Napier and their timing is not tied to a ship. Only the two shore excursion listings above are built around the port shuttle, the Marine Parade meeting point and the sailing schedule.
Private And Sunrise Napier Gannet Tour Options For Small Groups
All 5 Private And Sunrise Tours on one page →
Five listings, one operator, five different shapes of day. All are private, which means the vehicle and the guide belong to your group, and all are priced per group rather than per person.
The straightforward option is the Private 4-Hour Tour: from $704.30 per group of up to 4, rated 5.0 across 11 reviews, with 45 minutes at the colony. Its twin, Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included, is from $688 per group of up to 4, rated 5.0 on 4 reviews, with collection from your accommodation and morning or afternoon tea and coffee.
The two sunrise listings move the whole outing to first light. The 3-Hour Sunrise Tour is from $636.15 per group of up to 4 and meets at 396 Clifton Road, with a breakfast of pastries, fresh fruit and yoghurt, plunger coffee and juice; it has 3 reviews, no rating shown. 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included is from $604 per group of up to 4, rated 5.0 on 3 reviews, with hotel pickup and drop-off listed under its inclusions alongside a one-on-one guide.
The Private 7.5-Hour Winery Combo is the long day: from $1,214 per group of up to 2, pickup about 8:30 am and back by 4:00 pm, in a Range Rover. It combines a 3 hour gannet safari with a platter lunch and wine tasting at Craggy Range, a tasting at a second winery, and a drive up Te Mata Peak. No rating published yet.
Because the group price is fixed, the per-head cost falls as the group fills. That arithmetic matters most on these five listings, and it is worth doing before booking rather than after.
Why A Private Group Pays Per Group
Every one of these five listings charges the group, not the head. Run the division before comparing. Against $56.23 per person on the shared standard tour, the difference buys the vehicle to yourselves and your own guide. A couple pays the same group price, so per head the gap widens.
The winery day is the outlier on group size: it covers up to 2 people, not 4, at $1,214 per group.
The Private 4-Hour Tour at $704.30 for a full group of 4 works out to about $176 each.
What Sunrise Changes
Sunrise tours depart about an hour before sunrise, which in practical terms means a pre-dawn pickup or drive to the base, depending on the listing. The 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included listing collects you from your hotel in the pre-dawn hours; the 3-Hour Sunrise Tour requires you to make your own way to 396 Clifton Road. On the route, the 4x4 crosses Cape Kidnappers Station, roughly 2,500 hectares of working farmland, passing a fenced 200 hectare conservation area, with a cliff-top stop for views across Hawke's Bay toward Napier and the distant Mahia Peninsula.
What you see at the colony depends on the season and the day. Nesting runs mid-September to mid-December per DOC, and best viewing is early November to late February.
The Winery Day
The Private 7.5-Hour Winery Combo is not a gannet tour with wine attached; it is a full Hawke's Bay day. Pickup from accommodation at about 8:30 am in a Range Rover, a 3 hour gannet safari, a platter lunch and tasting at Craggy Range, a second winery tasting, Te Mata Peak, and a flexible extra stop if time and interests allow. Drop-off is by 4:00 pm.
All five listings carry free cancellation up to 24 hours before start. Mobility details and group caps beyond those stated above are not given on the listings.
What Does A Napier Gannet Tour Cost?
Four of the nine listings are priced per person, from $55 to $95.42, and the other five are priced per group. The two standard 3-hour tours come in from $55.00 and $56.23. The two cruise shore excursions are from $93.00 and $95.42, the premium being the extra hour and the central Napier meeting point.
The private and sunrise listings are priced differently, per group. Four of them cover a group of up to 4: from $604.00 to $704.30. The winery day covers up to 2 people at $1,214 per group. These are not per-person figures, and comparing them directly against the shared tour prices without dividing first leads to the wrong conclusion.
What A From-Price Means Here
Every figure on this site is a from-price taken from the listing. The amount you pay can move with your date, the group size on private listings, and options chosen at booking.
The comparison table below lists all nine listings, each as its own row with its own from-price. Ratings and review counts also belong to a single listing: the same product can carry different review histories where it is listed in two places, and the numbers are never added together here.
Hotel pickup, for example, is an option you select on the 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base; it is not part of the $56.23 unless you add it.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before start applies to all nine tours. Check the live booking page for the exact terms. Some listings also carry poor-weather and minimum-numbers refund wording, but that policy text appears on only some of them, so read the specific listing before you rely on it.
All 9 tours, most reviewed first. Tap a sort chip twice to flip the order.
| Tour | Kind | Length | Meets | From | Rating | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Hour Tour, Meet at BaseGannet Safaris Overland | Standard Overland Gannet Tours | 3 h | 396 Clifton Road, Te Awanga | $56.23 per person | ★ 4.91,052 reviews | Check availability |
| 3-Hour Tour, Lowest PriceGannet Safaris Overland | Standard Overland Gannet Tours | 3 h | 396 Clifton Road, Te Awanga | $55 per person | ★ 4.8378 reviews | Check availability |
| Private 4-Hour TourGannet Safaris Overland | Private And Sunrise Tours | 4 h | Napier | $704.30 per group | ★ 5.011 reviews | Check availability |
| 4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute StopGannet Safaris Overland | Cruise Shore Excursions | 4 h | 100 Marine Parade, Napier | $95.42 per person | ★ 4.910 reviews | Check availability |
| Private 4-Hour, Pickup IncludedGannet Safaris Overland | Private And Sunrise Tours | 4 h | Your accommodation | $688 per group | ★ 5.04 reviews | Check availability |
| 3-Hour Sunrise TourGannet Safaris Overland | Private And Sunrise Tours | 3 h | 396 Clifton Road, Te Awanga | $636.15 per group | 3 reviews | Check availability |
| 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup IncludedGannet Safaris Overland | Private And Sunrise Tours | 3 h | 396 Clifton Road, Te Awanga | $604 per group | ★ 5.03 reviews | Check availability |
| 4WD Safari Vehicle, 4 HoursGannet Safaris Overland | Cruise Shore Excursions | 4 h | 100 Marine Parade, Napier | $93 per person | New listing | Check availability |
| Private 7.5-Hour Winery ComboGannet Safaris Overland | Private And Sunrise Tours | 7.5 h | Your accommodation | $1,214 per group | New listing | Check availability |
| No tours match that combination. Set the Show chip back to All and all 9 tours come back. | ||||||
Shared Versus Private: What The Price Buys
The shared tours put you on an air-conditioned 4WD vehicle for the overland trip across the farm station to the colony. The private listings give you a vehicle and guide for your own group, on your own clock. Both cross the same station farmland to the same plateau colony, so the destination does not change with the price.
What Is Not In The From-Price
Transport to the start varies by listing. On the 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base, hotel pickup and drop-off is an option selected at booking; leave it unselected and you drive yourself to 396 Clifton Road, about 25 minutes from Napier. On the Pickup Included listings it is in the price. No add-on rates are published, so budget for the base figure plus any option you choose at checkout.
Food and drink differ too, and only per listing: coffee or tea on some, light refreshments on one, a gourmet breakfast on the sunrise tour that includes it, and morning or afternoon tea on one private listing. Check the row you are booking rather than assuming.
The Shore Excursion Premium
What the extra money buys over the standard tour is the fourth hour, roughly, and the meeting point in central Napier at 100 Marine Parade, a short walk from where the port shuttle drops. The standard 3-hour tours are not for cruise passengers.
Why Twin Listings Differ By A Few Dollars
One operator runs all nine listings, and four of the five products are listed twice, on two booking platforms. The two standard tours show this clearly: $56.23 on one, $55.00 on the other, for the same 3-hour trip from Clifton Road. Platforms price independently, so a small gap between twins is normal rather than a sign of a different product. The table below shows each listing as its own row so you can see the pairs side by side, with each one's own rating and review count, and decide on the terms and the price that suit.
Per-person and per-group prices are not comparable at face value. Divide the group price by the number of travellers, then compare. From the listings: $704.30 for 4 is about $176 each, $688 for 4 is $172, $636.15 for 4 is about $159, and $604 for 4 is $151. The winery day is $1,214 for up to 2, so $607 each at full occupancy.
The cruise shore excursions cost about $93 to $95 per person.
Then weigh what changes with the group number. A couple on a private 4-hour tour pays the full group price; the same couple on the shared tour pays two per-person fares. Four people close most of the gap.
Ratings and review counts belong to a single listing, not a product. One standard tour listing shows 4.9 across 1,052 reviews while its twin shows 4.8 across 378, and neither number includes the other. Treat each row on its own evidence, read the inclusions and meeting point for the listing you actually book, and compare the divided group figures against the per-person fares. That is the fair comparison, and the table gives you every number needed to make it.
Overland 4WD, DOC Beach Walk Or Shore Excursion: How Do The Ways To Reach The Colony Compare?
Four ways reach the gannet colony, and they differ more than the prices suggest. The comparison table below lines them up: the overland 4WD tour from Clifton Road, the DOC beach walk from Clifton, the cruise shore excursion from central Napier, and the private tour from your accommodation.
Why The Table Exists
The walk is not a tour. The tours are booked products: a vehicle carries you across private farmland above the cliff tops to the plateau colony, with a guide, on a schedule.
Those differences explain the columns. Start point, time to allow, tides, walking, season and group size all diverge sharply between the four options. The overland tours run about 3 hours and ignore the tides entirely. The walk is 19 km return, DOC rates it 5 hours and expert category, and the tide window decides whether it is possible at all. The shore excursion adds a Napier meeting point and about 4 hours. Private tours run 3 to 4 hours, or 7.5 hours on the winery day.
It is a free, self-guided route on DOC land along the beach below the cliffs, governed by the tide, with landslide and rockfall risk on part of it, and it demands fitness and, by DOC's figure, about 5 hours return.
No ranking is implied. A confident tramper with a low tide and a spare day may prefer the beach. A visitor with a morning free, or a ship to catch, will likely land on a vehicle. The table is there so the choice rests on facts rather than on which option has the louder description.
| Overland 4WD tour | DOC beach walk | Cruise shore excursion | Private tour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where it starts | 396 Clifton Road, Te Awanga (hotel pickup is an option on one listing) | Clifton, along the beach to the Cape | 100 Marine Parade, Napier, at the i-SITE | Your accommodation, or the Clifton Road base on the sunrise tour |
| Time to allow | About 3 hours | DOC: 19 km return, 5 hours, expert category | About 4 hours return | 3 to 4 hours; the winery day is 7.5 hours |
| Tides | Not governed by tides: the route runs above the cliff tops (operator) | Walkable around low tide only; leave the Cape no later than 1.5 hours after low tide (DOC) | Not governed by tides: travels above the cliff tops (operator) | Not governed by tides: travels above the cliff tops (operator) |
| Walking | Little or no walking, flat ground at the plateau (operator) | Long beach walk plus a steep climb to the second colony | Check the booking page | Check the booking page |
| Season | Operator: 1 August to 30 April | DOC plateau track closed July to the week before Labour Weekend | Napier cruise season October to April | Operator: 1 August to 30 April |
| Group | Shared vehicle | Self-guided | Shared, up to 40 (per listing) | Private group of up to 4 (up to 2 on the winery day) |
| Free cancellation | 24 hours before, on the platform listing | Not a booked product | 24 hours before, on the platform listing | 24 hours before, on the platform listing |
The DOC Beach Walk In Plain Terms
The route runs from Clifton along the beach to the cape: 19 km return, DOC says 5 hours return, expert category. The Black Reef colony sits 7.5 km from Clifton. Beyond it, a 1 km steep, rough, sometimes muddy climb leads up to the second colony, the Plateau colony, which DOC calls the best place to view nesting gannets and which sits on private land.
The tide governs everything. The beach is walkable only around low tide, and high tides and big seas block it. Leave the Cape no later than 1.5 hours after low tide, and check the tide table before going.
There is a second hazard. About 7 km of the beach runs under cliffs subject to landslide risk. A landslide injured two tourists in January 2019, and another large landslide in February 2020 closed the beach; the track was later reopened. Status can change at any time, so check DOC's safety alert before setting out.
The track from the beach to the plateau colony closes each year from July to the week before Labour Weekend, to protect returning birds.
Why The Tours Ignore The Tide
The overland tours do not touch the beach. They travel above the cliff tops, across Cape Kidnappers Station, so the tide has no bearing on whether they run. DOC itself describes the overland route via the private farm as a lower-risk option than the beach walk.
There are no toilets on the tour itself; the last toilets are at the base, which has good bathroom facilities.
One access note for walkers and bike riders: Clifton Motor Camp closed, and the council voted on 5 August 2026 to close a section of Clifton Road at the former campground to vehicles. Pedestrian access to Clifton Beach and the walking route stays open. The operator base at 396 Clifton Road has not been reported as affected.
Two further operators work this coast, and neither is included in the tour comparisons here.
Practical detail from the operator: the standard tours use an air-conditioned 4WD coach, the plateau at the colony is flat ground with bench seats, and little or no walking is required.
Gannet Beach Adventures runs a tide-dependent beach tractor-trailer ride from Clifton, along the shore rather than above it. No price or season is given here, and no claim is made that it is running, so check its own site. Gannet Bikes offers a self-guided fat-bike ride from 475 Clifton Road, taking 3.5 to 4 hours, needing at least intermediate fitness, with a walk up to the Plateau colony at the end. Check its own site for current details.
Who Each Option Suits
The overland 4WD tour suits most visitors: about 3 hours, little or no walking, no tide calculations, and a guide's commentary across the station. The shore excursion suits cruise passengers, with its Marine Parade meeting point and timing set to each ship. The DOC beach walk suits experienced, well-prepared walkers with a full day, a favourable tide and a checked safety alert. The private and sunrise listings suit groups wanting their own vehicle and schedule, and the winery day suits travellers turning the gannets into a full Hawke's Bay outing.
Wildlife is seasonal in every case: what you see at the colony depends on the time of year and the day, not on the mode of travel.
Where Does A Napier Gannet Tour Start, And Who Gets A Pickup?
Every gannet tour listed on this site is run by Gannet Safaris Overland, but the nine listings do not all start in the same place. Where you check in depends on which one you book.
The standard 3-hour tours and the 3-Hour Sunrise Tour start at the operator base at 396 Clifton Road, Te Awanga, on the Hawke's Bay coast about 25 minutes south of Napier, unless the listing you choose includes hotel pickup. The two shore excursion listings start in central Napier instead, at 100 Marine Parade by the Napier i-SITE, so cruise passengers can reach the meeting point on foot from the port shuttle drop.
Three listings collect you rather than asking you to find a base: Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included; 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included; and the Private 7.5-Hour Winery Combo, which picks up from accommodation in a Range Rover. The Private 4-Hour Tour starts in Napier, with no meeting point stated and no word on whether pickup is included.
The destination is the same in every case: the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers, the headland that gives the reserve its name, reached overland across Cape Kidnappers Station farmland to the plateau above the cliffs.
Loading the map. Every place is also listed below.
Map tiles and place names: © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Gannet Safaris Overland base, 396 Clifton Road, Te AwangaDeparture Points
- Napier i-SITE, 100 Marine Parade, NapierDeparture Points
- Clifton beach and DOC track startDeparture Points
- Black Reef colonyColony And Coast Landmarks
- Plateau gannet colony, Cape KidnappersColony And Coast Landmarks
- Cape Kidnappers pointColony And Coast Landmarks
- Te Mata PeakColony And Coast Landmarks
- Napier PortVillages And Start Points
- Te AwangaVillages And Start Points
- HaumoanaVillages And Start Points
- HastingsVillages And Start Points
Who Gets A Pickup
Pickup is straightforward once you match it to the listing. Hotel pickup and drop-off is included on Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included, on 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included and on the Private 7.5-Hour Winery Combo, the last of which collects you from accommodation in a luxury Range Rover.
On 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base, pickup is an option you select at booking. If you do not select it, you make your own way to 396 Clifton Road. The 3-Hour Sunrise Tour is meet-at-base only, with the tour ending back where it began.
The two shore excursion listings do not include hotel pickup. Both collect in central Napier at 100 Marine Parade and return you there.
Driving To The Clifton Road Base
The base at 396 Clifton Road, Te Awanga, is about a 25 minute drive from Napier. There is a large off-road car park at the base, big enough for several motorhomes, which matters if you are touring in a camper. The base also has the bathroom facilities you should use before departure.
The 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price has no hotel pickup; guests make their own way to the operator base at 396 Clifton Road, Te Awanga.
Cruise Passengers
Only the two shore excursion listings are set up for cruise passengers. The 4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute Stop collects passengers about 200 metres from the i-SITE drop, opposite Napier Museum. The 4WD Safari Vehicle, 4 Hours tour meets at the pink flag area in front of the Sound Shell next to the i-SITE. Departure times are set for each ship, so check the all-aboard time against the 4 hour duration.
Where you stay can shorten the morning. Motel de la Mer, a budget option at 321 Marine Parade in Napier, sits a short drive from the i-SITE meeting point and about 25 minutes from the Clifton Road base. Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, at 446 Clifton Road in Te Awanga, is in the same area as the operator base at number 396. Mangapapa Hotel in Havelock North, an upper-tier choice at 466 Napier Road, works as a base for the Hawke's Bay wineries and is about 25 minutes from the Clifton Road start.
Ships berth at Napier Port, where a free shuttle runs into town and drops at the Napier i-SITE at 100 Marine Parade.
One local note for anyone planning to walk rather than ride. Clifton Motor Camp closed in 2026 after a geotechnical assessment found unstable land above it, and the council voted on 5 August 2026 to close a section of Clifton Road at the former campground to vehicles. Pedestrian access to Clifton Beach and the Cape Kidnappers walking route stays open. This affects walkers and bike riders only: the operator base at 396 Clifton Road has not been reported as affected, and the overland tours are untouched.
Motel De La Mer
321 Marine Parade, Napier
Check rates
Rosewood Cape Kidnappers
446 Clifton Road, Te Awanga
Check rates
Mangapapa Hotel
466 Napier Road, Havelock North
Check ratesWhen To Book A Napier Gannet Tour: The Gannet Breeding Calendar By Month
The gannet year at Cape Kidnappers runs on its own calendar, and the tours run on the operator's. Gannet Safaris Overland operates from 1 August to 30 April, with departures at 9.00 am and 1.30 pm on the regular tour. The birds arrive first: adults return to the colony around July and move into courtship and nest building, carrying nesting material from September through December.
Nesting starts in mid-September per DOC and continues to mid-December, with a single egg laid. DOC puts the best viewing window from early November to late February. The season runs from August to April, with the best viewing from early November to late February; the track to the plateau colony closes from July until the week before Labour Weekend. Fledging runs through March and April, and the last chicks depart in May.
DOC marks the best viewing window as early November to late February, when nesting and chick-rearing overlap. That window sits squarely inside the operator season. What you see on any given day depends on the season and the birds; nothing about nesting is guaranteed on a particular visit.
The month table below lays out the breeding stages, walking track access and tour availability month by month, drawn from DOC, NZ Birds Online and the operator's own calendar.
- Reported or just starting
- Present
- Building or consistent
- Common or peak
- This month
January
Colony Viewing: DOC best viewing runs through February Walking Track Access: Open Operator Tours: Daily; peak viewing window (DOC)
February
Colony Viewing: DOC best viewing runs to late February Walking Track Access: Open Operator Tours: Daily; peak viewing window (DOC)
March
Colony Viewing: Outside the DOC best viewing window Walking Track Access: Open Operator Tours: Daily
April
Colony Viewing: Outside the DOC best viewing window Walking Track Access: Open Operator Tours: Daily; operator season ends 30 April
May
Colony Viewing: Off season Walking Track Access: Open Operator Tours: Closed for the season
June
Colony Viewing: Off season Walking Track Access: Open until the July closure Operator Tours: Closed for the season
July
Colony Viewing: Off season Walking Track Access: Plateau walking track closed (DOC) Operator Tours: Closed for the season
August
Colony Viewing: Season opening Walking Track Access: Walking track closed Operator Tours: Daily; operator season opens 1 August
September
Colony Viewing: Season under way Walking Track Access: Walking track closed Operator Tours: Daily
October
Colony Viewing: Season under way Walking Track Access: Walking track reopens the week before Labour Weekend Operator Tours: Daily
November
Colony Viewing: Best viewing starts early November (DOC) Walking Track Access: Open Operator Tours: Daily; peak viewing window (DOC)
December
Colony Viewing: DOC best viewing window Walking Track Access: Open Operator Tours: Daily; peak viewing window (DOC)
| Month | Colony Viewing | Walking Track Access | Operator Tours |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | DOC best viewing runs through February | Open | Daily; peak viewing window (DOC) |
| February | DOC best viewing runs to late February | Open | Daily; peak viewing window (DOC) |
| March | Outside the DOC best viewing window | Open | Daily |
| April | Outside the DOC best viewing window | Open | Daily; operator season ends 30 April |
| May | Off season | Open | Closed for the season |
| June | Off season | Open until the July closure | Closed for the season |
| July | Off season | Plateau walking track closed (DOC) | Closed for the season |
| August | Season opening | Walking track closed | Daily; operator season opens 1 August |
| September | Season under way | Walking track closed | Daily |
| October | Season under way | Walking track reopens the week before Labour Weekend | Daily |
| November | Best viewing starts early November (DOC) | Open | Daily; peak viewing window (DOC) |
| December | DOC best viewing window | Open | Daily; peak viewing window (DOC) |
What The Walking Track Closure Means
DOC closes the track from the beach up to the Plateau colony each year from July to the week before Labour Weekend, to protect returning birds. That closure applies to walkers on the 19 km beach route.
Cruise Season Overlap
Cruise ships call at Napier Port from October to April. The two shore excursion listings therefore run inside a window that starts two months after the operator season opens and ends when it closes. If your ship calls between October and April, the shore excursions line up with the season.
Morning Or Afternoon
The regular tour departs at 9.00 am and 1.30 pm. The operator's own guidance is that the birds are as active in the morning as the afternoon and no time is better, so pick the slot that fits your day. The sunrise listings run on a different logic altogether: pre-dawn start, time at the colony at first light, about three hours in total.
If Your Plans Shift
All nine listings carry free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, on the booking page. Some listings also carry a weather policy, offering a different date or a full refund when conditions force a change.
The overland tours do not use the walking track: they travel above the cliff tops across farmland, so their season opens on 1 August regardless.
Choosing a month comes down to what you want from the colony. DOC's best viewing runs early November to late February, when nesting adults and growing chicks fill the plateau and activity is at its height.
The shoulders suit a quieter trip. August to October catches the season opening on 1 August, with adults in courtship and nest building. March and April bring fledging, with young birds preparing for the crossing to Australia, and the operator season runs to 30 April.
From May the tours pause until 1 August. Walkers face the July closure on the plateau track on top of that. Whatever month you pick, the birds keep their own schedule: the calendar describes the general pattern, not a promise for any single day.
Napier Gannet Tour By The Numbers: Colony, Listings And Reviews
The tiles above condense the nine listings into the figures that matter most when you are comparing tours. Here is how to read them.
Nine listings sit on this site, covering five distinct products from one operator, Gannet Safaris Overland, with four of the products listed twice. The lowest from-price among the per-person listings is $55. The most reviewed listing, 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base, carries 1,052 reviews and a 4.9 rating. DOC puts the colony at 6,500 pairs, the largest and most accessible mainland colony in the world. The operator season runs 1 August to 30 April, and every listing carries free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
Treat each figure as a starting point rather than a verdict. The cheapest price belongs to a specific listing with specific conditions, the review count belongs to one listing rather than one product, and the season dates belong to the operator rather than the birds.
What The Numbers Do Not Say
The colony figure, 6,500 pairs, is DOC's count. It is the only source used here for colony size, and it is not tied to a date, so treat it as the standing official figure rather than a live census.
Review counts are per listing and are never added across sites. The same product can appear twice with different histories: 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base shows 1,052 reviews at 4.9, while 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price shows 378 reviews at 4.8. These are separate listings for the same underlying tour, not halves of one total.
Ratings With Few Reviews
Some ratings rest on a small base. Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included shows 5.0 on 4 reviews, and 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included shows 5.0 on 3 reviews. The counts appear alongside those scores for exactly that reason: a perfect score on a handful of reviews tells you less than a 4.9 earned across more than a thousand. Three listings show no rating at all, so nothing is claimed for them.
Prices
Per-person from-prices across the four shared listings run from $55 to $95.42. The five private and sunrise listings are priced per group: from $604 to $1,214, with the winery day priced for a group of up to 2 and the others for up to 4.
What Is Included On A Napier Gannet Tour, And What To Bring?
What Is Included
Inclusions vary by listing, so check the one you actually book. Transport is the constant: an air-conditioned vehicle on 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base and on 4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute Stop; comfortable air-conditioned transport on 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price; a 4WD safari on 4WD Safari Vehicle, 4 Hours; a luxury Range Rover on the winery day.
Drinks follow the listing wording. 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base includes coffee and/or tea and beverages. The two shore excursion listings include coffee and tea, the 4WD Safari listing calling them hot drinks. Private 4-Hour Tour includes coffee and tea; Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included includes morning and afternoon tea and coffee.
Two listings go further on food. The 3-Hour Sunrise Tour includes a gourmet breakfast of pastries, fresh fruit and yoghurt with plunger coffee and juice. The Private 7.5-Hour Winery Combo includes a 3-hour gannet safari, a platter lunch and wine tasting at Craggy Range, a tasting at a second winery, the drive to Te Mata Peak and a flexible itinerary for extra stops.
Hotel pickup is included on the Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included tour, the 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included tour and the winery day; for the other tours, check the booking page for pickup options. On 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base it is an option selected at booking.
What Is Not Included
The winery day lists accommodation, additional food and drinks and personal expenses as not included. On 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base, hotel pickup and drop-off is not included unless you select the option at booking. The shore excursion listings cover central Napier collection only, not hotel pickup.
What To Wear And Bring
The plateau is an open cliff-top with cool sea breezes, so layers carry the day. DOC suggests sturdy footwear, food and water, sunscreen, hats and extra clothing. The 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price listing advises a jacket, and a reviewer on the 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base listing recommends a hat and a light jacket.
Mobility And Access
The operator's guidance for the standard tours is that little or no walking is required and everything can be seen from the bus. The plateau at the colony is flat ground with bench seats, and passengers need to be able to hop on and off the vehicle unaided. The 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price listing says walking is not required if you do not want to. Other listings do not state mobility details.
Rules At The Colony
The colony is a DOC reserve and a wildlife sanctuary. No dogs. Keep behind the barriers or at least five metres from nesting gannets. Nesting birds dislike loud noises and fast movement, so approach the viewing area calmly. Drones need a DOC permit on conservation land.
Toilets
There are no toilets on the tour. The last toilets are at the base, which has good bathroom facilities, so use them before the vehicle leaves.
Every one of the nine listings carries free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, on the booking page. Cancel inside that window and the refund terms are the platform's, not the operator's own direct policy.
Four listings add weather wording: good weather is needed for the tour, and if it does not run you are offered a different date or a full refund. At an exposed cliff-top colony, wind and sea conditions can force changes, so read the weather policy on the listing you book rather than assuming it appears on all nine.
Latest Data, November 2026
The figures above cover nine bookable tours across five tour types from one operator: a lowest per-person from-price of $55, the most reviewed tour at 1,052 reviews, an average rating drawn only from tours with 5 or more reviews, and a lowest per-group from-price of $604 for the private tours.
The colony figure of 6,500 pairs is DOC's. Prices are the listed from-prices in USD, before any options selected at booking.
- Tours Listed94 priced per person
- Cheapest From$553-Hour Tour, Lowest Price
- Most Reviewed1,0523-Hour Tour, Meet at Base
- Top Listing Rating4.9across 1,052 reviews, 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base
- Private, Per Group$6043-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included
Napier Gannet Tour FAQ
How Much Does A Napier Gannet Tour Cost?
Per-person prices run from $55.00 on the standard 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price to $95.42 on the 4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute Stop, with the other cruise listing at $93.00 and the meet-at-base standard tour at $56.23. The private and sunrise listings are priced per group: four listings range from $604.00 to $704.30 per group of up to 4, and the Private 7.5-Hour Winery Combo is $1,214 per group of up to 2. All are quoted from the booking pages in USD.
How Long Does A Gannet Tour Take?
The standard overland tours run about 3 hours. The two cruise shore excursions from Napier are around 4 hours return, with 45 minutes at the colony on the 4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute Stop listing and a 3 hour guided visit on the 4WD Safari Vehicle, 4 Hours listing. The private tours run 3 to 4 hours, and the Private 7.5-Hour Winery Combo runs 7.5 hours, with pickup about 8:30 am and return by 4:00 pm.
Can Cruise Passengers Book A Gannet Tour, And Where Do They Meet?
Yes, through the two shore excursion listings, both about 4 hours from Napier. Ships berth at Napier Port, where passengers take the free shuttle and are dropped at the Napier i-SITE on Marine Parade, 1.4 km from the port. The 4-Hour Shore Excursion, 45-Minute Stop collects passengers about 200 metres from the i-SITE drop, opposite the Napier Museum, at 100 Marine Parade. The 4WD Safari Vehicle, 4 Hours tour meets at the pink flag area in front of the Sound Shell next to the i-SITE. Departure time is set for each ship, so check it against the ship's all-aboard time.
Is Hotel Pickup Included?
It depends on the listing. Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included, 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included and the winery combo have hotel pickup and drop-off in the price; the 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price does not. The 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base does not include it, but hotel pickup is an option you can select at booking. The two shore excursions use a central Napier meeting point on Marine Parade rather than hotel pickup, and the 3-Hour Sunrise Tour meets at the Clifton Road base.
Do You Need To Walk Far On The Tour?
Not much. The operator says little or no walking is required on its overland tours, the plateau at the colony is flat ground with bench seats, and everything can be seen from the bus. The 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price listing notes walking is not required if you do not want to. The steep 1 km climb to the plateau belongs to the DOC beach walk, not the vehicle tours.
When Is The Best Time Of Year To See The Gannets?
DOC names early November to late February as the best viewing window. Nesting starts mid-September and continues to mid-December, and the last chicks leave for Australia in May. The operator's tour season runs 1 August to 30 April, with daily departures at 9.00 am and 1.30 pm on the regular tour. Adults return to the colony in July. Bird numbers and chick stages vary through the season, so no single day can be promised.
Are The Tours Affected By Tides Or The Weather?
The overland tours are not governed by the tides because the route travels above the cliff tops on Cape Kidnappers Station. Tides matter only for the DOC beach walk, which is possible around low tide, and high tides and big seas block the beach. Weather policy wording appears on some listings, and every listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before start, so a booking can be changed ahead of time.
Can You Walk To The Gannet Colony Yourself?
Yes, along the DOC route from Clifton beach: 19 km return, about 5 hours, graded expert, with Black Reef colony 7.5 km from Clifton and a steep, rough 1 km climb to the Plateau colony. The beach is walkable only around low tide, you must leave the Cape no later than 1.5 hours after low tide, and you should check the tide table before going. The plateau track closes from July to the week before Labour Weekend each year to protect returning birds.
What Should I Wear And Bring On A Gannet Tour?
DOC suggests sturdy footwear, food and water, sunscreen, hats and extra clothing for cool sea breezes, advice aimed mainly at walkers. The operator describes the plateau at the colony as flat ground with bench seats. A jacket is advised on 3-Hour Tour, Lowest Price, and a reviewer on 3-Hour Tour, Meet at Base recommends a hat and a light jacket. There are no toilets on the tour itself, the last ones are at the base.
Is There A Private Gannet Tour, And What Does It Cost?
There are three private listings and two sunrise listings, five in all. Private 4-Hour Tour is from $704.30 per group of up to 4, Private 4-Hour, Pickup Included from $688.00 per group of up to 4, and the winery combo from $1,214 per group of up to 2, a 7.5 hour day including lunch and tastings at Craggy Range plus a second winery and Te Mata Peak. The private and sunrise listings run from $604.00 to $704.30 per group of up to 4.
Is There A Sunrise Gannet Tour?
There are two sunrise listings. The 3-Hour Sunrise Tour meets at 396 Clifton Road and includes a gourmet breakfast of pastries, fresh fruit and yoghurt, plunger coffee and juice, from $636.15 per group of up to 4. The 3-Hour Sunrise, Pickup Included covers hotel pickup and drop-off plus a one-on-one guide, from $604.00 per group of up to 4. Departure is about an hour before sunrise and the outing runs about three hours.
Is There Free Cancellation On These Tours?
Yes, on all nine listings: free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start, with the refund handled through the booking page the ticket was bought on. This platform policy is the one that applies to these tickets rather than any policy quoted on the operator's own site. Poor-weather and minimum-numbers refund wording appears on some listings only, so read the policy section of your chosen listing before booking.
Are Dogs Or Drones Allowed At Cape Kidnappers?
No dogs. The colony is a wildlife sanctuary and a DOC reserve, and dogs are not allowed on the tours or on the reserve. On the DOC land around the walking route, horses are banned, motorbikes and vehicles must not leave the beach and enter the reserve, and fires and camping are not permitted. Drones need a DOC permit on conservation land. Visitors should keep behind barriers or at least five metres from nesting gannets.
Why Does The Same Tour Appear More Than Once?
One operator, Gannet Safaris Overland, runs all nine listings, and four of the five products are listed twice on different booking platforms, so the same outing can show different prices, ratings and pickup terms. For example, the standard meet-at-base tour is $56.23 with a 4.9 rating across 1,052 reviews, and hotel pickup can be added at booking, while the $55.00 option, rated 4.8 across 378 reviews, meets at the same Te Awanga base and offers no hotel pickup at all. Check the meeting point, inclusions and price on the exact listing before booking, as these differ.
Napier Gannet Tour Guides To Read Before Booking
Guides
A Day In Napier
Art Deco + Gannets Day
Australasian Gannet
Bike Vs Tour
Cape Kidnappers Tour
Cape Kidnappers Vs Muriwai
Cape Kidnappers Walk
Cape Kidnappers Weather
Colony Tours Compared
Gannet Colony Napier
Gannet Photography
Gannet Safari Day Guide
Gannet Season
Getting There
Hawke's Bay Gannets
Napier Gannet Tour
Napier Shore Excursion To The Gannet Colony For Cruise Passengers
Overland Tour Review
Private Tours
Things To Do
Tide Times
Tour Fitness
Tour Prices
Tour With Kids
Tractor Vs Overland
Walk Vs Overland
What To Wear
When Do Gannet Chicks Hatch At Cape Kidnappers
Where To Stay
Worth It?
Answers
- Are Gannets Dangerous?
- Beyond The Gannets
- Cape Kidnappers Access
- Do Cruise Ships In Napier Offer A Gannet Colony Excursion?
- Dogs At Cape Kidnappers
- Driving To Cape Kidnappers
- Gannet Pairs
- Gannet Tours With Kids
- Gannets In New Zealand
- Group Of Gannets
- How Many Gannets
- Is The Walk Closed?
- Largest Gannet Colony
- Seeing The Gannets
- Standard Or Private?
- Tour Cost Vs Walking
- Tour Duration
- Walk Length
- Walking To The Colony
- What Time Of Year Are Gannet Chicks At Cape Kidnappers?
- What To Bring
- Wheelchair Access
- Why Cape Kidnappers Closes