Cape Reinga New Zealand May Make Your Spirits Leap

Cape travel lore tells that Maori believed spirits of the dead returned to the mythical ocean homeland of Hawaiiki via the Aupouri peninsula north coast to Cape Reinga New Zealand. This path to the afterlife is lined by Ninety Mile Beach’s golden sands.

Caution must be taken on the drive along SH1 so as not to join such spirits, as treacherous unsealed stretches of roadway, large tides, quicksand, speeding tour busses, and wild horses threaten hazardous car pile-ups and ruined New Zealand car rental holidays, or worse. Bus and four-wheel drive tours that depart from Kaitaia, Paihia, and other locations are preferred options.

Backpackers, hiking buffs, and other adventure seekers would instead be better rewarded by racing down 100 meter high sand dunes along the beach during summer travel season or by taking thrill seeking New Zealand vacation adventures.

Guided day tours are a popular way to explore Cape Reinga and offer a safer option for negotiating the changing sands of this extremely barren and remote region. Northern Exposure Tours offers a daytrip that includes hugging kauri trees in Puketi, digging for toheroa on the beach, and tobogganing on the dunes.

A similar tour is offered by 4 x 4 Dune Rider in an air conditioned Mercedes Benz bus. Party tours are available through Awesome Adventures and Kings, some stoppoing at Wagener Museum.

On the opposite side of Ninety Mile Beach, ocean waters of Tapotupotu and Spirits Bay entertain boogie boarders. Further south, Great Exhibition Bay evidences more fishing enthusiasts than nude sunbathers.

A lighthouse marks Cape Reinga bluff where turbulent waters of Spirits Bay and Tapotupotu converge with a captivating panoramic view.

The view alludes to the spiritual importance this place had for Maori. Legend tells that spirits who passed this way used seaweed ropes to travel down the hill to make their final leap from an 800-year-old pohutukawa tree down its roots into the sea. Cape Reinga was known to Maori as Te Terenga Wairua, the leaping place of the spirits.

The charming coastal town of Pukenui hosts one of Northland’s best hostels, North Wind Lodge Backpackers. The cape also harbours resort lodges, hotels, and motels. The DOC maintains campsites for more rusticNew Zealand accommodations.

As you depart from this northernmost part of the North Island, you might find local feijoa jam for sale at the Waitiki Landing campground store before journeying southward.