Tūī in the garden
The bird you will hear before you see it — bell notes, clicks and wheezes from the kōwhai and flax around the apartments, especially in spring when the kōwhai flowers. The white throat tuft gives it away.
Explore the area
Birds & Sea Life
You don't have to go far. Tūī feed in the kōwhai outside the windows, herons stalk the reserve, and at low tide the Tor's rock pools open up. A little further: a marine reserve, an estuary full of wading birds, and an island sanctuary where the rarest birds in the country walk past your feet. The photographs here are our own, taken around Waiake.
White-faced herons on the reserve
Aickin Reserve and the creek behind the beach are heron territory. You will see them stalking the lawn after rain and standing motionless in the shallows at low tide.
Spur-winged plovers, paradise shelducks and magpies
The plovers patrol the reserve in pairs and let everyone know about it. Paradise shelducks — the white-headed female and her dark mate — graze the sailing club's lawn in the evening, and the magpies have decided the balcony rail belongs to them.
Gulls, oystercatchers and the tide line
Red-billed gulls work the surf line, and at low tide the flats between the beach and the Tor are worth a slow walk — shells, small crabs, and the birds that feed on them.
Rock pools at the Tor
At low tide you can walk out to the Tor. Its rocks hold pools of anemones, small fish, starfish and crabs. Check the tide times before you go, and go early — the pools are best in the first hour.
Kororā — the little penguin
The world's smallest penguin nests along this coast and comes ashore after dark. Now and then one is found resting in the dunes at Long Bay by day, as this one was. Give them space and keep dogs away; if a bird looks hurt, call DOC on 0800 362 468 rather than moving it.
Long Bay–Okura Marine Reserve
The coast from Long Bay north to the Okura estuary has been a marine reserve since the 1990s — no fishing, no collecting, and noticeably more life in the shallows and rock pools as a result. Snorkel from the Long Bay end on a calm day.
Wading birds on the Okura estuary
The estuary at the end of the Okura Bush Walkway is a feeding ground for wading birds — herons, oystercatchers, stilts and, in summer, migratory shorebirds. Take binoculars and go on a falling tide.
Tiritiri Matangi — the island sanctuary
An open sanctuary in the Gulf, reached by ferry from Gulf Harbour, where takahē, kōkako, saddleback, stitchbird and bellbird live without predators. Guided walks are run by the island's volunteers. It is the one day trip we recommend to everyone.
Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi →
Dolphins, whales and rays
Common dolphins and Bryde's whales live in the Hauraki Gulf year-round and are the reason the wildlife cruises leave from downtown Auckland. Closer to home, eagle rays and stingrays glide through the shallows in summer — and every so often orca follow them along the bays.
Your hosts are happy to assist with arranging bookings for these experiences — just ask.
准备好了，随时都可以
空房查询与预订就在我们的网站上完成，直接预订永远是最好的价格。
