Cape Reinga Walk
Easy access walk
Time:
10 min
Distance:
100 m
Getting there
Cape Reinga and Te Paki are located at the northernmost area of New Zealand on the small, narrow Aupouri Peninsula, approximately 60 km north of Kaitaia. Follow State Highway 1 north to Waitiki Landing. Then on 20 km to Cape Reinga.
North of Waitiki the road surface changes from tar-seal to loose gravel for approximately 18 km.
Cape Reinga Road is an unsealed road and gets very busy over the summer months. Please drive slowly and take extra caution.
About the area
Cape Reinga and Te Paki are on the northern tip of the North Island, an area steeped in history and Maori tradition. The area provides easy access to idyllic campgrounds, great walking tracks and picnic areas.
The whole of the northern tip of the North Island is steeped in Maori tradition and the heritage of their past. It is the most spiritually significant area in the country.
A lonely lighthouse and a gnarled, twisted pohutukawa tree on a windswept cliff top on this northern tip of New Zealand mark this special place.
The venerated pohutukawa is the Reinga, “the place of leaping” in Maori tradition, where the spirits of the dead leap off the headland and climb down the roots of the 800 year old tree, and descend into the underworld to return to their traditional homeland of Hawaiiki.
Description
Walking towards the lighthouse at Cape
Reinga
This is a short stroll from the Cape Reinga car park down to the lighthouse. From there you can get outstanding views of the ocean and the Three Kings Islands, and Cape Maria Van Diemen to the west. In clear weather, you can see the most northern point (known as Surville Cliffs) of New Zealand to the east.
Offshore, you can witness the immense power of two mighty oceans merging. The currents of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet in a foaming swell of broken water over the Columbia Bank just west of Cape Reinga. At times, the churning waves erupt in explosions of spray and spume.
From the carpark a track leads down to Te Werahi Beach and continues on to Te Paki Stream. A track to the east above the carpark winds around the coast to the Department of Conservation campsites at Tapotupotu Bay and Spirits Bay.
Activities
Historic sites
Scenic tours run daily to Cape Reinga from Paihia and Kaitaia.
Places to stay
This is a standard campsite in the Kaitaia area.
This is a standard campsite in the Kaitaia area.
Plan and prepare
Please note the path is accessible by wheelchair but the gradient is steep.
What to expect on an easy access walk:
- Easy walking for up to an hour
- Track is well formed, with an even surface. Few or no steps or slopes
- Suitable for people of all abilities and fitness
- Stream and river crossings are bridged
- Walking shoes required
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