Beautiful Bay in May » Hawke's Bay Biodiversity

Head Out and Connect with Nature!

Following the inaugural event last year, we’re excited to join the National Aquarium of New Zealand again for Beautiful Bay in May 2023!

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! Hawke’s Bay has had such a difficult few months and spending some restorative time in nature can help with our mental and physical wellbeing.

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.

This year the National Aquarium of New Zealand (NANZ) have produced some awesome Beautiful Bay in May for Schools resources to help connect your tamariki and young people with nature and biodiversity with the Beautiful Bay in May! Check them out here - Beautiful Bay in May for Schools

Beautiful Bay in May Activity Sheet

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.

Share and win!

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!

How to enter

Download and print off the 31 activities
Get out and about in nature and tick off the 31 activities as you enjoy them
Share your adventures on Facebook and make sure you tag Biodiversity Hawke's Bay and use #bayinmay to go in the draw for amazing prizes.

Win an Epic Family Adventure Prize Pack!

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 #bhb. There are 12 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.

Gannet Safari Overland

Win a trip for a family of 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 2023 – April 2024 (not redeemable on public holidays).

National Aquarium of New Zealand

Annual Friends of the 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, cafe and retail store.

Tākaro Trails e-Bike Hire

Generously donating a family e-bike hire - 4ppl, 2 adults and 2 kids. E-bikes only for kids aged 12 years plus (or over 140cm). Use the bikes to explore the Hawke's Bay Trails / Heretaunga Ararau with your whānau. Award-winning Tākaro Trails cycle tours has over 10 years’ experience providing individuals, groups, and families everything they need to see, explore and experience the best of the Hawke’s Bay by bike.

Biodiversity Hawke's Bay

Win a 12 month family membership with Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay. You and your whānau will be kept updated with all sorts of exciting conservation activity happening across Hawke’s Bay with opportunities to join in for special events.

Eco Kiosk

Win an incredibly convenient reuse and refill pack with Eco Kiosk Napier. Your beautifully designed bag includes 'home top-up refillable X ml/L bottles for your home cleaning needs - dish washing liquid, spray & wipe, toilet cleaner, laundry powder, and hand wash. Leave them in the car once you have topped up your home bottles, then refill when you are next in town - it makes better choices for nature that much easier!

Kiwi Conservation Club

Annual membership to Forest & Bird’s Kiwi Conservation Club | Hakuturi Toa (KCC) who connect Kiwi kids and their families to Aotearoa New Zealand’s amazing wildlife and wild places and empowers them to make a difference for nature. You'll receive the quarterly Wild Things magazine and be involved in local conservation initiatives.

The Nature Activity Book

Had fun doing Beautiful Bay in May? Why not get ideas for 99 more activities with Te Papa Press’s Nature Activity Book by Rachel Haydon. From experiments and observation to conservation and mindfulness, this appealing, activity-packed book stimulates curious minds and encourages children to relate to the natural world around them.

Honeywrap

Win a Honeywrap Three Pack - the perfect introduction to the magic of reusable beeswax wraps. Your Honeywrap Three Pack will become your kitchen go to for covering the leftovers, wrapping sandwiches, brightening your fridge, table and picnics. At the heart of Honeywrap, our goal is to provide you with natural and environmentally friendly alternatives to single use plastic. Each wrap can save over 75 meters of single use plastic, therefore our awesome Honeywrap Three Pack can save you over 200 meters of plastic. Pack contains: one large, medium and small Honeywrap.

Arataki Honey

You and up to five of your whānau will 'Meet the Bees', joining a beekeeper, getting kitted out with overalls, beekeeping veils and gloves for a visit to an onsite hive to meet our busy bees. Discover the Arataki Honey story and get acquainted with the secret life of the honey bee. Trip to be taken between October 2023 - April 2024. Minimum age is 8 years old due to health and safety conditions and size of bee suits, but younger children can view through the window.

Art Deco Trust

Win a walking tour for your family of four with the Art Deco Trust. The Art Deco Trust's walking tour will allow you to discover the fascinating story of Napier's heritage. Explore the built and natural beauty of the most complete Art Deco city in the world!

Te Herenga Waka o Ahuriri / Napier Port

Your whanau (up to six 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.

Why is Biodiversity Important?

Hawke’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.

75% of native vegetation lost to land clearance
Only 2% of local wetlands remain
Several native plants, birds, lizards, frogs, freshwater fish have been lost

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. Learn more about our local biodiversity and how you can get involved.

Belinda Sleight

"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.

Family Adventure Prize Pack - Terms & Conditions

Any shared social media content of participants engaging in one of the 31 Beautiful Bay in May activities, tagging #bayinmay, between the 1st to 31st of May 2023 will enter the draw.
Social media posts tagging #bayinmay must be posted by 11.59pm (NZST) on 31st May 2023 to be eligible for the prize draw.
Appropriate entries will be identified and participants’ social media user names will be put in the random draw to win the one Epic Family Adventure Prize Pack.
Winners will be contacted via social media before 30th June 2023.
Prizes cannot be swapped or changed.
The Beautiful Bay in May Epic Family Adventure Prize Pack contains a range of prizes from different organisations. The individual terms and conditions for each prize therefore may vary. The winner will need to check the specific conditions of prizes containing memberships and experiences with the relevant organisations. Organisations offering memberships or experiences as part of the prize pack are: