Wednesday 3rd December- A visit to Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga is the most northern point of New Zealand and about 120 kilometres away from where we are staying here in Taipa.

We awoke early, thanks to Noel not reading his watch correctly, and we set off at about 0830 via Awanui, where we bought some petrol, before heading up State Route 1.

The road runs through hills and dales and sometimes close to the sea but mostly in the middle of the country. There is quite a lot of livestock up here as there is ample space for grazing and few houses. Kaitaia is the last large town before heading north.

The main road goes through Houhora , a sleepy little village and then on via Waitiki Landing, which the map says has fuel and food, but more of that later.

We had decided that we would go straight to the Cape without stopping and do all the sightseeing on the way back. The idea behind this would be to get to the Cape before the Tour buses arrived.

We arrived around 1045 after a slow drive admiring the countryside and also looking for places we wished to visit on our return journey. The last twenty kilometres of road to the Cape is un-metalled road which is now being surfaced and also at the Cape they are building a new car park, information centre but they have just opened the new toilets.

We left the car in the car park and wandered down the path to the lighthouse. By looking left you could see where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean by the slight colour variation and it looked like a blue line had been drawn. We took some photos around this area and also looking down on to the end of ninety mile beach (still not sure why they call it this as its only 90 kilometres long). You can get most of the way by coach or 4x4 on the sand and then just before you get to the cape you travel up a stream bed back to the main roads. (Actually it was not the end of Ninety Mile Beach that we could see but Te Werahi Beach but never mind)

On the rocks below Cape Reinga there is an 800year old Pohutakawa tree which is regarded as the “Place of departing spirits” in Maori legend.

We met some guys who recommended that we also visited Spirits Bay which they said was well worth the visit. So we left the Cape and headed south. We have now been to the most northern, southern and eastern places in New Zealand and sometime will do the most Western.

Spirits Bay is about 15 kilometres of un-metalled road with virtually no traffic, not a good place to break down as hardly anybody passes on this road and no mobile signal is available. There is a lovely Conservation Camp site right at the bay and there were a few people there plus some others fishing and surfing. The site has a basic loo and shower and nothing else and the nearest shop is about 90 minutes away. If you want lonesome, then this could be the place.

By this time we were getting hungry as it was about 1.45 pm and so we headed back to Waitiki Landing for some lunch. The petrol station has this large sign saying last petrol station before Cape Reinga but in smaller print on the dispensers, No fuel. Good petrol station we thought.

In the café Jennifer placed the order as I went to the joint use loo and as I sled the door back to enter there was this plaintiff cry of ‘don’t come in’. The door had no lock.

We waited about 30 minutes and still no food and so we chased up the lady who said she was all by herself and it would take time. So we left. There was however a guy collecting dishes and once done he vanished and another lady who sat in the kitchen doing nothing. What a place, and it seemed dirty. I see now why people take a picnic.

We stopped off at Houhora Heads but there was not much going on there and then headed back to Awanui for an ice cream before arriving home at around 5.30 pm. Noel cooked the steaks and together with salad and a glass or two of wine made for a pleasant day.

Noel received a call inviting him to go fishing early on Thursday morning but he could not go, which is most unfortunate, as he is due back at the physiotherapist at 1030 and it’s really not fair to cancel at this late stage. Hopefully there will be another opportunity soon.