We travel to some of the planet’s most amazing destinations with Lindblad Expeditions, and it’s not common that we, as staff, have the opportunity to share places we’ve actually lived with our fellow travelers. Lived in as in, “See that? That’s the building where I used to live. And that’s my former office. I used to walk across the street to the beach to eat lunch…”
I lived and worked in Napier eight years ago for the Hawke’s Bay Department of Conservation (DOC), and today we had the opportunity to visit both the city where I was based as well as one of New Zealand’s most prominent conservation success stories. Cape Kidnappers is home to the world’s largest mainland gannet colony as well as an incredible initiative to protect and reintroduce many native birds through the establishment of an ambitious predator-free sanctuary. I partnered with the Cape while with DOC. To see and hear the continuing stories of their growth with Lindblad as we viewed the gannets and other native species – including the rare pāteke (brown teal) – was an experience I could have only dreamed of all those years ago. To everyone on board: thanks for the opportunity, and the privilege, of sharing this with you.
