Is Cape Reinga worth visiting? An honest travellers review

Having been to New Zealand five times by now, I’m one of the lucky few who got to travel to Cape Reinga twice. The first time purely out of curiosity. The second time as part of my trek on Te Araroa, where Cape Reinga is the starting point of. The article below is my original blog written after my visit in 2018, when it was cloudy weather, super busy and I got a little disappointed. During my second visit in 2022 there was nobody to be seen and I got quite a different experience. I’ve also added my experiences about that time. Is Cape Reinga worth visiting? Continue reading and you’ll find out my opinion below.

Hi! I’m Antonette – a five times New Zealand traveller and guidebook author. I’m happy to provide you with my personal experiences on my site. Questions? Comments? Feel free to reach out or hire me to plan your trip! I’m a Dutchie living in the north of Sweden who travels to New Zealand every year and has spent more than a year traveling around the county in total.

About Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga is the northernmost accessible part of New Zealand for tourists, but not the most northern point in New Zealand. This is Cape North, located some 20 kilometers east of Cape Reinga. However, this is used for scientific research and not open to public. Cape Reinga is a sacred site to the Maori, you will find an 800 years old Pohutukawa tree here. This is where spirits of the deceased leave the mainland and descend to the underworld to return to their traditional homeland of Hawaiki.

The nearest town of a decent size is Kaitaia, located 1 hr 20 minutes driving from Cape Reinga.

My 2018 journey to Cape Reinga starts in Whangarei. From here it’s a 265 kilometer drive to the ultimate north of New Zealand’s main land. From Kaitaia, the last place where I have a stop and fuel my gas, the drive is still about one and a half hours up to Cape Reinga. Some 30 minutes after my departure from Kaitaia my cell phone service drops and the road slowly becomes more windy and quiet. Even though it was sunny when I left Whangarei and there were just a few clouds when I left Kaitaia, dark clouds are gathering above my head.

Along the way I see some signs offering tours to Cape Reinga and sometimes a lonely farm. Other than that, the landscape looks quiet and isolated and I feel quite uneasy from time to time. As for other traffic, there’s cars passing by every now and then, but not a whole lot to be true.
 
Just before I arrive at Cape Reinga, I see the road to Tapotupotu Bay, which is where I’d like to camp for the evening. I doubt if I should drive to Cape Reinga first, however don’t want to risk the campsite being full and so I drive down to the bay where I pitch up my tent. It’s truly gorgeous!

Once at Cape Reinga, I’m a little scared by all the cars and campervans that are parked along the road, before having even reached the parking lot. Traffic controllers are trying to make everything run smoothly but I get quite discouraged straight away, as it seems like I’ve arrived at a total tourist trap. Eventually one of the traffic controllers directs me to a free parking spot, right in between two big busses Around me are some big crowds, varying from Kiwi to Russian to German and Dutch people.
 
By now, a thick sea mist has gathered around the cape and I cannot see more than some hundred meters away. The famous Cape Reinga lighthouse is not within sight yet and so I decide to toss some things into my backpack and start walking into that direction anyway. The walk to Cape Reinga is about 1 kilometer long and takes you across a wide and well paved trail, easily do-able for anyone. After a few turns I still can’t see much more than mist and tourists, but eventually the Cape Reinga lighthouse comes into sight. I just ignore the tourists for now.

It’s extremely windy yet not too cold. While I’m being run over by screaming kids and parents chasing after them, I start to feel restless. It feels like being in a Zoo on Sunday afternoon. Eventually I succeed in closing my mind for this and to focus on the sound of the waves crashing into the shores below me. Seagulls are screaming away in the wind and slowly I start calming down. And eventually … the sun starts to shine a little.

After sitting like that for about fifteen minutes, I feel relaxed enough to walk over the the cape and the lighthouse. I start taking some photos of the Cape Reinga lighthouse and the road sign and walk over to the far northern point. Here, I stare into the depth below me. This is where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea gather and the water below me is simply spectacular. When looking to the left, I can see Cape Maria van Diemen, which received its name from Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. I want to hike over but I realize that it’s quite a far end and that I have not checked the tidal charts for crossing the estuary.

I did this hike in 2022 and will tell you more about it below

Eventually I decide to head back to the car and peace and quiet of the Tapotupotu Bay campsite. Once back on the campsite, the caretaker tells me that this night it will be starting to storm incredibly and that I have to secure my tent very tight. I make sure that the pegs are fully into the ground and steady the lines where possible. Soon after it really starts to rain and I decide to put as much gear as I can in my car already, so that at least it’ll stay dry if the horrible weather as promised indeed decides to appear.
 
Right in the middle of the night I wake up. The wind is howling around my tent and that weather warning was not just a fun joke. The rain pours down onto my tent and somehow the noise is too loud and I can’t get back to sleep anymore. My car is about 200 meters from where I’m camping and in my head I’m planning a quick departure as soon as it gets light.

Breaking down the tent in a storm is an interesting thing to do especially when you’re by yourself, however within minutes I’ve thrown all the wet stuff into my car. Once behind the steering wheel I realize how soaked I am and start shivering. I hit the gas for some hours straight and during the early evening I arrive back in Auckland, some 450 kilometers down south. Along the way it keeps on raining and as it turns out, the New Zealand North Island has been captured by a storm that lasts at least 48 hours and I’m right in the middle of it.

In 2022 I returned to Cape Reinga as this is where I started my thru hike on Te Araroa. This time it was a completely different experience.

First of all, the weather was beautiful. Still with a fresh breeze, but also with blue skies. This time there was absolutely no mention of the horrible weather that I experienced in 2018. There were also hardly any other tourists. In 2018 I was there in the first week of January, the middle of the high season. In 2022 I was there at the end of October, or the preseason. It made visiting Cape Reinga a completely different experience.

This time I hiked towards Cape Maria van Diemen and it was truly beautiful. Check the tide in advance because there are a number of river crossings, as well as rock formations that are difficult to pass at high tide. In 2022 I left Cape Reinga behind with a big smile on my face!

Is Cape Reinga worth visiting? I’ll leave that up to you. In 2018 I would have said no. It’s a fairly long drive for what felt like a tourist trap. However, in 2022 I got to experience it a completely different way. The blue skies and lack of tourists made it a truly amazing experience. If you should visit Cape Reinga really depends on the amount of time you have.

Don’t want to make the long drive but instead want to join a guided tour? Check options here.

I’ll end this article with some additional information about your visit to Cape Reinga:

• The last town of significance before Cape Reinga is Kaitaia. It’s not a very inspiring place, but there are plenty of supermarkets and petrol stations. Don’t forget to refuel here as there is no gas anymore after Kaitaia.
• It’s a 100 km drive from Kaitaia to Cape Reinga
• When I visited there was no mobile phone coverage at Cape Reinga.
• Are you looking for accommodation near Cape Reinga? The nearest campsite is the DOC camping at Taptupotu Bay. Other nearby accommodations are in Kaitaia. In 2022 I stayed in the Beachcomber Lodge. 
• There is a significant difference in crowds per period. The further you travel outside the high season, the quieter it is. If you are visiting during the New Zealand school holidays (Christmas until January) make sure you are prepared for crowds.

Last but not least here are some useful links to book your trip to Cape Reinga:

• Flights to Auckland I usually book via Skyscanner.
• Accommodation can be found on Booking, in Kaitaia I stayed at the Beachcomber Lodge.
• Busses go as far as Kaitaia. Check bus options here.
• Further transport needs to be done with a rental car. Check cheap rental cars here.
• Alternatively, join a guided tour instead.

I hope you found this blog about whether Cape Reinga is worth visiting useful. If you want to read more, make sure to check out the following posts, too:

• All you want to know about Tongariro National Park
• The best hikes in New Zealand
• The best unknown places in New Zealand

Alternatively, make sure to check my New Zealand homepage for more than 50 blogs about active travel in New Zealand.

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