We’re excited to join Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay again for Beautiful Bay in May 2024! And there are even more incredible prizes up for grabs thanks to generous local businesses.
We have another 31 awesome activities to inspire you, your whānau and friends to get out in nature this autumn. Explore the nature all around us, from the birds in our backyards, amazing flora and fauna, to beaches and the clouds in the sky! Spending some restorative time in nature has been clearly evidenced to help with our mental and physical wellbeing – the benefits are many!
So, tick one activity off a day or do as many as you can at once - it’s entirely up to you. It’s about getting out, connecting with nature and having fun!
You don’t have to stop there either. There are so many ways you can be in and connect with nature. See what else you can find or do, add them to your list and share your ideas with others.
Download the Beautiful Bay in May Activity Sheet, tick one activity off a day or do as many as you can at once - it’s entirely up to you. It’s about getting out, connecting with nature and having fun!
You don’t have to stop there either. There are so many ways you can be in and connect with nature - see what else you can find or do.
There are amazing spot prizes and an epic family adventure prize up for grabs too! Challenge your whānau, classmates, group of friends or work colleagues. Take photos and share your experiences with your network of friends and family and with others enjoying the same activities in different places around Hawke’s Bay. Make sure to tag us so we can see you having fun! Alternatively, you can email the National Aquarium team to enter if you don’t want to share on social.
We’ve had great support from some nature focused businesses across Hawke’s Bay. To enter simply take photos of you enjoying Beautiful Bay in May activities, share on Facebook and tag in Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay including #bayinmay. There are eight awesome prizes in this impressive giveaway that will help you get out and about in Hawke’s Bay, long after May is over! Terms & conditions below.
Win a family Gannet Safari Overland trip for four! This incredible 4x4 safari experience takes you on a guided discovery tour to the top of Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony where you will come encounter over 20,000 gannets in their natural habitat – nesting, preening, dancing swooping and diving right before your eyes. Trip to be taken between Sept 2024 – April 2025 (not redeemable on public holidays).
More Info
Annual Friends of Aquarium membership. You and your whānau will get to visit the National Aquarium whenever you like for a whole year with a free annual membership! Get regular updates, invites to special events and activities and discounts on our animal encounters, café and retail store.
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Annual membership to Forest & Bird’s Kiwi Conservation Club | Hakuturi Toa (KCC) who connects Kiwi kids and their families to Aotearoa New Zealand’s amazing wildlife and wild places. You’ll get the quarterly Wild Things magazine and be involved in local conservation initiatives.
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Win a collection of beautiful books from Te Papa Press. Had fun doing Beautiful Bay in May? Why not get ideas for 99 more activities with Te Papa Press’s 'Nature Activity Book' and 'Beach Activity Book' by Rachel Haydon. From experiments and observation to conservation and mindfulness, this activity-packed book encourages children to relate to the natural world around them. Also, you’ll learn all about beautiful creatures from our oceans in the books 'Mangō' and 'Whiti'.
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Your whānau (up to 10 people) will join a member of the Napier Port team on a tour of Napier Port’s kororā (little blue penguin) sanctuary, the first on-port sanctuary of its kind in New Zealand. The sanctuary was developed with the help of kororā expert Professor John Cockrem (Massey University) to protect this at-risk and declining species and provides a safe space for kororā as it is free from threats such as dogs, cats and humans.
More InfoHawke’s Bay is absolutely beautiful, and also a unique part of New Zealand. It has a wide variety of living things, habitats and natural features that are often found nowhere else.
It is unacceptable that we are losing so many native species and ecosystems locally. Loss of this biodiversity (the huge variety and connections of life on Earth) is a massive concern locally, nationally, and globally as it is vital to our survival and the survival of our planet.
“The more we engage with nature and appreciate how good we feel when we are connected with our natural environment, the more we will work to protect and enhance what we have that makes Hawke’s Bay such a special place” - Belinda Sleight, Biodiversity Hawke's Bay community facilitator.
• Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay
• The National Aquarium of New Zealand
• Kiwi Conservation Club
• Gannet Safaris Overland
• Art Deco Trust
• Napier Port
Daily from 9:00am - 5:00pm
(including public holidays)
last entry 4:30pm
Marine Parade, Napier
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