Gannet Bikes runs self-guided fat bike rides along the beach to the gannet colonies at Cape Kidnappers. The rides start and finish on the beachfront at 475 Clifton Road in Clifton, Te Awanga, in Hawke's Bay, so you do not need to bring bikes out from town. The ride covers about 9 kilometres each way along a sandy, gravelly and sometimes rocky beach, with cliffs and birdlife on the way. The round trip, including the walk to the Plateau Gannet Colony, takes about 3.5 to 4 hours. Evening rides are offered, and the site advises a head torch for those.
The bike is a Silverback Fat Bike with 12 cm tyres and a gel padded seat, and each rider is given a helmet, a spare tube, a pump, an information sheet and a map. The site asks for at least an intermediate level of cycling ability and fitness, and says riders need to be able to change a tube. About 1 kilometre along the beach is the Black Reef Gannet Colony, and a 1.3 kilometre walk leads to the Plateau Gannet Colony. The site says there is no drinking water at the Department of Conservation rest shelter, and it advises checking the MetService forecast. The guides have been running groups out here since 2008.