Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Te Paki Stream (Kauaeparaoa) marks the southern border of
Te Paki Recreation Reserve
,
but is more famous for being a 'quicksand stream'. If your bus drops you off at the Te Paki
Stream Rd car park, rather than at the stream mouth, it's an additional 45 minutes of wet
trekking through the stream.
From the end of the stream head northwest along the wide, flat expanse of
Ninety Mile
Beach
, flanked by sand dunes on the east and the pounding surf of the Tasman Sea to the
west. After an hour you pass a campsite and come to Waitapu Stream, which may or may
not be dry. The track then leaves the beach and begins a steep climb - via steps, thankfully -
to the southern side of Scott Point. Cross a small gully then resume climbing steeply before
topping out to good views of Ninety Mile Beach below.
On
Scott Point
the track moves into scrub and then joins a 4WD track to arrive at a good
area for backcountry camping. There are no facilities, but the grassy site sits high above the
pounding surf; you can see over to Cape Maria van Diemen during the day, and the glow of
its lighthouse is visible at night.
The track continues across Scott Point, well marked by orange posts to guide you through
the maze. It takes 1½ hours to cross the point and descend onto
Twilight Beach (Te
Paengarehia)
, which is named after a schooner that sank here in 1871. Twilight Campsite,
near the southern end of the beach, has composting toilets and water from a tank, the safety
of which cannot be guaranteed.
Day 2: Twilight Beach to Tapotupotu Bay
6 HOURS, 13KM
It's a 45-minute walk to the northern end of the beach, where there's a small stream and a
signposted route to the Te Werahi gate along Cape Reinga Rd, a 1½-hour walk away.
Head left along an old 4WD track that skirts a swamp and then climbs a ridge that separ-
ates the wetland from the sea. Heading northwest through flax and manuka scrub there are
great views of Cape Maria van Diemen and even a peek of the Cape Reinga Lighthouse.
Having left the ridge and headed into sand dunes, the track reaches a signposted junction
one hour from Twilight Beach. Turn west (left) to continue onto
Cape Maria van Diemen
.
This side trail follows the coast for 40 minutes, providing excellent views most of the way
to the lighthouse that was built after the one on nearby Motuopao Island closed in 1941.
There are two ways to reach Te Werahi Beach from the end of Cape Maria van Diemen.
Most trampers backtrack and head north (left) at the junction to follow the high-level track
