Although Cape Reinga is not at the northern most tip of the country, that distinction
belongs to North Cape; it has come to represent the top of New Zealand
because of its accessibility.
The Cape Reinga Lighthouse was built in 1941 and in operation by May of that year. New Zealands many lighthouses used to be manned by lighthouse keepers. However, in the 1980's they became fully automated. There are now no lighthouse keepers in New Zealand, and all lighthouses are controlled from a central computer system in Wellington.
The area around Cape Reinga is spiritual to Māori and is unique as it contains a very rare flax snail, the northern green gecko and varieties of plants and trees found nowhere else in the world.
The foaming swell of broken water, slightly west of Cape Reinga
Lighthouse, is the Columbia Bank where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean
meet. This convergence creates an upwelling that brings rich nutrients
for fish and seabirds to the surface. In stormy weather, the surging waves can reach heights of up to 10 metres over the submerged
Columbia Bank.
Columbia BankWhere the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet.
Cape Reinga Lighthouse
The lighthouse at Cape Reinga is the most visited lighthouse in New Zealand and undoubtedly the most photographed one.
1Te Rerenga 2Wairua - Cape 3Reinga is
spiritually significant to Māori
as according to their folklore, the spirit of the dead travel here to
depart 4Aotearoa.
They make their way to the
5Pohutukawa tree burgeoning from a cleft
in the rock of the headland, slide down the roots of this aged tree
and release their hold on Aotearoa as the great doors of kelp part to reveal
the way into the underworld. They emerge from the ocean and climb 8Ohaua,
the highest point of the Three Kings Islands, to solemnly bid their
last farewells to Aotearoa.
When the ritual has been completed their tupuna (ancestors) compel them
to turn and they will never look back again, as on turning an overwhelming
sense of love enters their spirit as their tupuna reveal the path of
their final journey.
They re-enter the ocean to the underworld with
eagerness as their tupuna draw them towards their open welcoming arms
as they wait for their arrival to Hawaiiki-A-Nui, their ancestral homeland.
For the tramping enthusiasts:
Cape Reinga Coastal Walk is generally more sheltered on the East Coast compared to the wild and exposed West Coast section of the hike.
Cape Reinga Coastal Walk is generally more sheltered on the East Coast compared to the wild and exposed West Coast section of the hike.
6Motuopao the island just offshore from
Cape Maria van Diemen is a nature reserve and valued for its breeding colonies
of fairy prion, white-faced storm petrel and black-winged petrel. The island
was the site of the first lighthouse in the area from 1879 until 1941 when
the lantern fittings were shifted to Cape Reinga Lighthouse and replaced
with a small automatic light beacon.
The sweeping stretch of beach is 7Te Werahi
which stretches from Cape Maria van Diemen to Cape Reinga. Abel Janszoon Tasman
the renowned Dutch navigator was the first European to site this Cape (1642)
which he named Maria van Diemen in 1643 in honour of the wife of Anthony van
Diemen who was the patron of his voyages and the Governor General of the Dutch
East Indies for nine years until he died in 1645.
Cape Maria van DiemenCape Maria van Diemen faces the Tasman Sea and is the westernmost of the three points of land at the northern end of New Zealand, the other two being Cape Reinga and North Cape.
