Farewell Spit Eco Tours Blog

Last year transmitters were implanted into female Godwits to track their migration to Alaska.

This year the researchers are fitting them to male birds in the firth of Thames on the North Island here you can see the video shown on TVNZ last night.

Just two weeks ago the beach in front of the Farewell Spit lighthouse was as flat as a flat thing that had just been through a press.

Now though with just a few windy days many small dunes have formed and are tumbling toward the end of the Spit.

The westerly wind is responsible for this.

Whilst returning along the beach the other night a Skua was spied chasing a White fronted Tern.

Now the purpose of this was not to eat the Tern but to make it regurgitate the fish it had recently caught and was happily digesting as the sun set into the sea.

Quite a dramatic aerobatic performance ensued with the Tern almost looping the loop as it evaded the Skua. Eventually though, the inevitable happened and the Tern threw up the fish, the Skua swallowing it before it had fallen ten metres.

We do not see many Skuas but they are very dramatic when they appear.

The 30th and 31st of August are the dates for the second annual "A Gnome away from home " weekend.

Have a look here to see what they got up to last year.

Sometimes when things go just right you see something special.

This was one of those times.

Looking back at the Farewell Spit Lighthouse from near the Gannet Colony just as a rain shower passed over.

Have a look at our photo gallery to enlarge this image.

The Belladonna Lillies or "Naked Ladies" planted by the Lighthouse keepers in days gone by flower every year about this time.

These ones are along the path at the foot of the lighthouse.

The concrete in the path is made of sand cement and shells, the shells were used instead of stones as there was  no gravel nearby.

A group of six Wrybill posed for their photograph about halfway along the ocean beach on Farewell Spit.

The wrybill are only seen from the bus a handful of times in a season. those who came out on a rather bleak day were rewarded with a rare sighting.

Compare the size with that of the oystercatcher in the right of the picture.

The native sand binding plants near the lighthouse on Farewell Spit are flourishing now.

The photo above is of female spinifex plants near the lighthouse at the end of Farewell Spit. The spiny heads break off and the wind spreads the seed. The male plant below has much smaller flowers.

Just before sunset the light is just right for photos of the sand and taking in the view of the intertidal plain on the inner beach of Farewell Spit..

The Gypsy is the lastest in a long line of 4×4 buses to be used on the Spit.

She is a 28 seat MJR model Bedford that has been extensively modified for driving on the beach.

She made her first trip to the Lighthouse with a group of youngsters (Rangitahi) from the region who were staying at the local Marae connecting with their roots.