State Highway 1 terminates at Cape Reinga. It is a short distance from the car park to the lighthouse for outstanding views. To the west is Cape Maria Van Dieman and Motuopao Island; to the east is Piwhane Spirits Bay and Hikurua de Serville Cliffs, the North Island’s most northern point.
Offshore, you can see where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet over the Columbia Bank. On a clear day, you may also see the Three Kings Islands, about 60 km to the northwest.
At the northernmost tip of the Cape is a reputed 800-year-old pōhutukawa tree. In Māori mythology, spirits leap from this tree into the ocean to return to their ancestral homeland of Hawaiki.
There are a couple of good coastal day walks to beaches in either direction from the Cape along the Te Paki Coastal Track. Te Araroa also starts here and heads south on the Te Paki Track to connect with 90 Mile Beach.
Thanks to Jan Rozek for providing the photos.
