Muriwai Beach

Welcome, adventurous travelers and students of the natural world, to the incredibly dramatic, fiercely untamed coastline of Muriwai Beach. Located a mere twenty five miles, or roughly a one hour drive, northwest of the bustling…

Our journey begins by heading down towards the expansive, incredibly wide flats of the lower beach. This specific area is accessed via the lower car park and is the absolute epicenter of human recreational activity at Muriwai. …

Moving southward along the shoreline, we approach the massive, imposing geological formations that physically divide the main Muriwai beach from the smaller, adjacent Maori Bay. Hidden deeply within these towering, sheer rock…

As we ascend slightly from the beach level, we arrive at the expansive, highly exposed flat rock platforms that jut aggressively out directly into the churning ocean. These incredibly dramatic ledges are the primary domain of the…

Continuing our ascent via the well maintained, winding upper walking tracks, we arrive at the first of three highly spectacular viewing platforms dedicated to the famous Muriwai Gannet colony. These magnificent, incredibly sleek…

We have now reached the absolute pinnacle of our coastal exploration, the highest observation deck directly overlooking the main, incredibly dense nesting site of the Muriwai gannet colony. Looking down upon the relatively flat,…

Having thoroughly explored the intense, highly concentrated wildlife activity on the cliffs, we now take a moment to look back inland, following the winding path of the incredible coastal walkway. From this highly elevated,…

As our comprehensive, deeply illuminating exploration of Muriwai Beach comes to a close, and we begin our descent back towards the sheltered inland areas, we are left with a profound, highly lingering sense of absolute awe. This…