Because it sticks out into the southern Pacific Ocean it gets hit with winds from all directions, particularly the freezing ones that come up from Antarctica. It’s a cold, windy, bleak, treeless place — the perfect spot for an albatross to nest. When it comes to nesting time, albatrosses have a problem. Their bodies are designed for a life at sea, where they fly vast distances across the southern oceans in search of squid and other sea creatures. To do this they have wingspans of more than three metres across. While these wings are great for gliding over the sea, they tend to get in the way on land, where the birds find it difficult to flap them enough to get lift-off. So instead they launch into the air using strong winds and high cliffs. Taiaroa Head has plenty of both. Each year hundreds of thousands of people visit the Royal Albatross Centre, because it’s the most accessible place in the world to see these wonderful birds. These people also come to eat, which is how our family is involved in the place.
