Plenty of rewards at Summerlee

By GERALDINE McMANUS*

Vast and seemingly endless, the huge openness gives an exhilarating feeling. In front are the ragged faces of cliffs, below me a golden beach, and beyond, the Pacific Ocean stretches to the horizon. A blue cloudless sky that seems to stretch forever completes the picture.

Summerlee Station is 1200ha, bounded on two sides by the ocean at Hawkes Bay. I'm heading out on an overland tour to the gannet colony perched on the edge of the point of Cape Kidnappers. The drive to the gannets and back is 34km through farmland, forests and a backdrop of spectacular scenery.

I'm travelling with Gannet Safaris, which offer one-day guided walks on the station and an option to see it from the air inside a helicopter. I was able to try both.

Soaring upwards and flying over the Cape gave me a gannet's-eye view. There is a no-fly zone close to the colony, so after a spectacular aerial tour we landed on a promontory out near the point.

Guide Jo Speedy was there to collect us. We were a small group, just three walkers plus guide, so we travelled by Range Rover. For groups of 10-12, Jo drives the group out to the start of the walk in a bus.

Following sheep and cattle tracks on the Summerlee Station, the walk treads the well-worn paths of farm animals who instinctively know how to grade the ups and downs of a hill. It's a good idea to follow their example. Just two uphill sections add heart-racing demands to the station walk. The remainder is through undulating pastures, beside streams and station lakes then down to the golden sands of the private beach edging the station.

The Pacific rolled on to the shore and seabirds soared in the sky, watching as we strolled along the beach. No roads, no people, no houses. An unspoiled and isolated landscape.

Apart from the tamed farm landscape, the Cape is as Captain Cook might have seen it - astounding soaring cliffs and a coastline with odd outcrops of rocks nurturing a wonderful variety of paua and crayfish.

It seems a shame, now, that this outstandingly scenic place carries a name as bizarre and unrelated to its beauty as Cape Kidnappers. This is from the days when Cook sailed nearby and one of his crew survived a kidnap attempt.

Somehow the station name of Summerlee is more fitting. Summerlee, which could also be a quaint charming garden in far-off England, is a huge block of land with a dramatic landscape of planted forest, pasture blocks and original bush of manuka and kanuka. In sheltered valleys punga ferns and taller rewarewa grace the scene.

For bird-watchers there are plenty of rewards. Waterholes graced with black swans and paradise ducks. Spurwing plovers and oyster catchers by the shore and fleeting glimpses of twittering skylarks high over the pastures.

On the beach it's possible to spot seals. Speedy tells us they are often sunning on the rocks or cooling off in small cave-like inlets. Unfortunately they must have been having a day off when I was there.

Speedy has carefully mapped out the track to provide an easy walk that also offers a real feeling of satisfaction and achievement. She takes care not to leave people too far behind - no one finds it too difficult, and inspired enjoyment of the scenery and environs is a real motivator.

There are two steep uphill stretches - one at the start of the walk immediately after leaving the vehicle and then at the end getting back up from the beach. We parked the vehicle at Cape View Yards. Locations all reflect typical farming terminology; the rough block, porpoise gully and bush block. We could have been sent out to do a muster.

It's a special treat to be able to walk on private station land that is being farmed. Satisfied and reinvigorated, I stretched well before getting back into the vehicle. To complete the day Speedy took us to the gannet colony.

"Look right, look right," she insisted as the vehicle emerged onto the hilltop - we were at eye level with hundreds of gannets. They couldn't have chosen a better place - they've got the best view in the world and plentiful fishing grounds. They are spectacular birds, graceful and elegant both on land and in the air. A joy to watch.

Where to find it:

Gannet Safaris, Summerlee, RD2, Hastings, Hawkes Bay.

Ph (06) 8750 888, fax (06) 8750 893

gannetsafaris@xtra.co.nz

What to wear:

Wear good walking shoes or boots and a hat, and take water.

What it costs:

A full-day guided walk, $90 a person, includes transport from the Gannet Safaris' barn, a guided walk, a visit to the gannet colony and a packed lunch.

Helicopters Hawkes Bay and Gannet Safaris offer a 30-minute flight over the bay and Cape Kidnappers which lands on the station and is met by Gannet Safaris' 4WD vehicles to visit the gannet colony. Cost depends on where guests are picked up.

Gannet Safaris also offer a trip in air-conditioned 4WD vehicles, no walking or climbing, to view the gannets and Cape Kidnappers. Advisory

The gannet colony is on Department of Conservation land. More than 2ha was gifted to the nation in the 1920s by the owner of Clifton Station. It is the largest mainland gannet colony in the world.


* Geraldine McManus was hosted by Gannet Safaris.

www.gannetsafaris.co.nz