Cape Reinga work / Healing Te Rerenga Wairua

Visitor alerts

There are currently no visitor alerts in place for Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua.

About the Project

What’s planned?

In May 2007, central Government announced $6 million had been given to the Department of Conservation for upgrades to visitor facilities at Te Rerenga Wairua, in recognition of its importance. The planned changes are:

Te Rerenga Wairua/Cape Reinga

• A new car park 100m further back along the road
• New toilets and a main car park on Pae Rehua (the hill behind the northern car park)
• Removal of the current toilets and car park
• Healing of the damaged areas of earth and re-planting them in native trees from the area

What work has been done and when will it be completed?

Work began the first week of September 2007 to coincide with Transit’s road sealing project for the remaining 19km of unsealed road (State Highway 1 from Waitiki to Cape Reinga).

The site has been reshaped and contoured. All the top soil and much of the flax have been removed and stored and will be returned once the earthworks are completed. Two new carparks are being created and won't be sealed until construction in the area is completed. One of the carparks is open for cars and buses.

Site plan (view larger, GIF, 32K)

A temporary track has been created to allow access to Cape Reinga itself. Toilets are located at the current car park. As the relocation will mean an extra 50 metres walk, temporary disabled toilets (portaloos) have been installed at the new car park. 

Construction will take approximately 12 months to complete. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2010.

Will there be disruptions?

There will be disruptions during construction but the Department of Conservation and Transit New Zealand are working hard to minimise these as much as possible. Once work is completed, the visitor facilities will be significantly improved and will offer visitors to Te Rerenga Wairua a greatly enhanced experience, as well as making sure that the cultural and natural significance of the site is respected and protected.

Why the changes?

View of the track to the lighthouse

Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) is one of New Zealand’s most visited sites, drawing thousands of visitors a year. Te Rerenga Wairua also holds important cultural and spiritual prominence to not only local iwi, but all Maori, as the departure place of the spirits as they travel along Te Ara Wairua on their final journey to Hawaiiki.  It is also home to many rare and endangered plants and animals, including pupuharakeke (flax snails) and rata moehau (Bartlett’s rata). Currently, visitor facilities including toilets and carparking are inappropriately located on an area considered sacred to Maori (Te Ara Wairua-the spirits pathway).  They are also inadequate for the current volume of traffic and visitors to the site.  Scars remain in the ground from buildings that have previously been removed.

How does this work link with a Visitor Centre at Te Rerenga Wairua?

As part of the planning for Te Rerenga Wairua, a project control group has been developing plans for a Visitor Centre on Pae Rehua (the hill behind the current carpark).  The vision for the Visitor Centre is to develop a hub for learning and education about the significance of Te Rerenga Wairua and the wider area. Although planning is underway for a Visitor centre, the work beginning this year at Te Rerenga Wairua is solely about developing new toilets and carparking and healing the current site.

In November two information days were held at Waitiki landing and Kaitaia. View a list of questions that were raised at the information days, with the answers provided.

The roundabout that will link the two
carparks

Phase 1 & 2

Phase 1: The project, which began in September 2007, is expected to be completed by 2010. It includes infrastructure designs and construction of car parks, toilets, landscaping and new tracks for Te Rerenga Wairua. It also includes developing completed designs of a Visitor Centre.

Phase 2: A project for the construction of a visitor centre to provide a hub of learning and information on the significance of the area is an initiative being driven by Enterprise Northland and local iwi, Te Aupouri and Ngati Kuri.

The visitor centre would form the second stage of the project. Plans have been drawn up. A site has been selected at Pae Rehua (the hill behind the northern carpark).

Funding to build the visitor centre will need to be obtained and this will be done by Enterprise Northland and iwi. The centre would be operated by a trust involving local iwi.

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