Gannet Beach Adventures

11/05/2023

WOW!!

We have been humbled by the amount of comments on our closure post of a week ago - and believe us when we say we have read them all!

We now know that GBA mattered, not just to us, but to all of you too. We are beyond proud that our small business has given so many happy memories to so many people, over so many years.

We can't possibly do the almost 700 comments justice by trying to reply to each and every one, so please accept this as a personal acknowledgement, with our heartfelt thanks for sharing your memories and thoughts. We also really appreciate those who have contacted us privately.

Just a few things before we sign off 👋

* Tours have already finished (sorry)
* If you do have an outstanding voucher, please get in touch with us directly (email is best)
* Yes, our tractors are for sale - genuine enquiries only please. Pass this onto anyone you think might like a piece of HB history!

Thanks everyone, it's been a blast (apart from the last four years).

Over and out 🚜

Colin & Kim - GBA

04/05/2023

BUSINESS CLOSURE: GANNET BEACH ADVENTURES (Established 1952)

3 May 2023

It is with much sadness that we announce the permanent closure of Gannet Beach Adventures, the tractor-trailer tours to Cape Kidnappers.

This decision has been made with much deliberation and angst and comes after four very difficult and frustrating years. In light of recent events, ongoing beach access issues and continued bureaucratic red tape, we have sadly come to the end of the road.

Our locally owned & operated, once viable and well-loved iconic tourism business deserved a better ending than this. We took pride in operating a small local business that had overcome many obstacles over the years – some under the direction of founders Neil & Elizabeth Burden, and previous owners Rod Heaps & Dayna Hildreth - to reach a milestone of 70 years in operation.

Our safety record was top notch, and our use of vintage tractors was sustainable long before we all knew what that word meant. We employed locals. We gave an unforgettable and authentic ‘Kiwi’ experience to hundreds of thousands of tourists over many years - both domestic and international (many of whom rated our tour as the best thing they had done in New Zealand). We kept our prices at an affordable level so that families could come and enjoy our experience, and we transported many generations of families. We helped tired walkers with a ride home, tidal information or first aid. We retrieved stuck vehicles for relieved locals. We looked out for sick or injured gannets and other wildlife and took pride in caring for the rest shelter area at Cape Kidnappers. We donated vouchers for school and community fund-raisers and offered discounted educational tours. We were community minded and gave back where we could.

To past passengers, thank you for choosing our tour - we hope we imparted knowledge, entertained you and provided you with memories to cherish.

To our staff, past and present, we salute you – your driving skills, humour and local knowledge became legendary. Thank you for always going above and beyond.

To those who traverse the beach in the future, however you travel - take care and be safe, it is a very different place without us.

A special thank you to those who have had our backs over the last few years - your support and kindness has not gone un-noticed and we are immensely grateful.

Colin & Kim Lindsay
GBA 🚜

25/04/2022

SHORT TRACTOR RIDES - CANCELLED

Our apologies, but this week's scheduled tractor rides have been cancelled due to an unwelcome (but not unexpected!) visitor in our household 🤒😷

This now finishes our season, which has been another difficult and frustrating one. We sincerely thank those that continue to support us, and to the visitors that have managed to experience one of the limited tours we have been able to operate this season.

Please keep an eye out for updates on the 2022-23 season soon 🚜🚜

21/04/2022

New dates for these short rides for the remainder of the school holidays - weather permitting!
475 Clifton Road, $20/family, rides of 25-30mins duration, no need to book (but remember no gannets or geology as access to the Cape is closed).
We hope to see you sometime soon:
Wednesday 27th April – 8.30am-10.30am
Thursday 28th April – 9am-11am
Friday 29th April – 10am-12pm
Saturday 30th April – 11am-1pm
Sunday 1st May – 12pm-2pm
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18/04/2022

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Short tractor rides are available again this coming Thursday and Friday (weather permitting), for the school holidays! From our ticket office/departure area at 475 Clifton Road:
Thursday 21st April - 1.30pm-3.30pm
Friday 22nd April - 2.30pm-4.30pm
20-30mins duration, donation of $20/family, no bookings required
(Just a reminder that these are not our usual tours, due to a Beach closure in place by Council, so do not include gannets or geology!)
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16/04/2022

Thanks for the support today! We'll be open again tomorrow from 10am, first tractor ride @ 10.30am. These short rides of around 20-30mins are perfect for littlies, but put a smile on everyone's dial 😁. Come and join us, then head across to Hygge at Clifton Bay for their Easter Sunday afternoon music session.
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14/04/2022

Due to the latest lengthy (since 2nd March 😞) and ongoing beach closure by the Council, we are sadly unable to run tours to the Cape this Easter weekend.

However, we will be opening our ticket office over the weekend, with a 20% discount on everything - even the ice-creams! Come and pay us a visit this Saturday or Sunday, between 10am-2pm, and buy a souvenir or two - we have books, puzzles, gannet toys, caps, kid's t-shirts, magnets, keyrings, postcards and more! Eftpos available.

One of our tractors will be making an appearance and for a small donation you can jump on the trailer for a quick trip along the beach (towards Te Awanga) - we can't promise gannets or geology but it will still be a fun ride, especially for the kids and those young at heart!

All welcome, we hope to see you there - and spread the word!

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11/04/2022

Chug chug 🚜🚜
Nice to be featured in Stuff's travel section today!

Hawke's Bay's spectacular, soaring cliffs serves as the backdrop on this wildlife adventure.

04/02/2022

Obviously we have some passengers on today's tour that are avid gannet fans! Love it 👏

23/01/2022

Yes, you can still visit this awesome spot with us! We are open and operating under the relevant guidelines in red 🚦🚜

15/01/2022

Gannets are our all time favourite bird too! Check out this blog and some pretty amazing photos - especially of some hungry babies 🐣 - from on their recent visit with us.
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This is a gannet. On my first boat ride out to sea, I noticed this elegant white bird sweep effortlessly through the sky and then dive really fast headfirst into the water and my first thought was "Well that bird is a goner!" However, when the bird resurfaced, I was surprised and needed to know more...

12/01/2022

We've been blessed with some fab weather, and it's been fun meeting all the Kiwi's coming out with us - including lots of locals, which has been great to see! Thanks to Jo for our most recent 5-star Trip Advisor review:
'So worth it!
Get your walking shoes on and grab your water bottle and a snack and get ready for a fun adventure with tour guides that are full of knowledge, (that we actually found really interesting), and have a great sense of humour. Cruise along the waters edge where you may or may not get a little wet along the way. When you arrive at Cape Kidnappers there is time to relax or walk to the summit to view the incredible Gannet colony at only an arms length away. So worth it.'

31/12/2021

From us to you, Happy New Year ✨ - what an absolute stunner of a start! Let's hope 2022 is kinder to us all 🚜