Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
around
Herangi Hill
(159m). Going this way takes 45 minutes to one hour to walk to the
southern end of Te Werahi Beach.
At low tide, more adventurous souls can follow the rocky shoreline. If you have any con-
cerns about the tide or your timing, take the high-level track. The tracks meet at Te Werahi
Stream, which should be crossed near low tide.
From the stream it takes 45 minutes to one hour to tramp along the long, sweeping
Te
Werahi Beach
to
Tarawamaomao Point
at the northern end. At high tide you'll get your
boots wet, as the cliffs close in at the northern end before the track climbs sharply away
from the beach. Continue along steep clifftops where on clear days you're rewarded with
spectacular views of sandy beaches, Cape Maria van Diemen and Motuopao Island.
Within an hour of the ascent from Te Werahi Beach, the walkway emerges at
Cape
Reinga
. The
lighthouse
is a 10-minute stroll away.
Reinga means 'place of leaping' in Maori. On the headland, perched above a turbulent
eddy of swirling kelp, is a solitary pohutukawa tree. Maori spirits were said to have descen-
ded to the underworld by sliding down a root into the sea, emerging on Ohaua - the highest
point of the Three Kings Islands - to bid farewell before returning to their ancestral home-
land, Hawaiki.
The Three Kings Islands are visible on a clear day. A nature reserve, they are home to a
number of rare and endangered trees, as well as a rich abundance and variety of marine life.
Interpretive signage provides an insight into the natural and human history of this magni-
ficent site, one of NZ's most photographed spots. The swirling seas where the Pacific Ocean
and Tasman Sea meet is utterly mesmerising, and keeping an eye on the waters may reward
you with sightings of the pods of dolphins that round the cape in feeding forays.
There are flash flush toilets at the cape, which cater to the hordes of tourists who make
the popular pilgrimage here.
The walkway resumes in the car park and heads east, sidling a hill, then descending to
Sandy Bay (Ngatangawhiti)
, a pretty spot with a freshwater stream and grassy flats beneath
pohutukawa trees. It is reached 30 minutes from the lighthouse. On the other side of the
small bay the track begins a steep climb to a coastal ridge, turns inland for a spell, then re-
turns to the clifftops and good views, from where it descends sharply towards
Tapotupotu
Bay
, 2½ hours from Cape Reinga.
Tapotupotu is one of the most scenic beaches in the far north, a horseshoe of white sand
and light-green seas enclosed by forested cliffs. There's a freshwater stream here and a road-
