Andrew and I had the opportunity to take some time off from our WWOOF work and visit Cape Reinga, It is (almost) the northernmost point of New Zealand and is the easiest to access by far! The actual northernmost point is a little further to the east, but is accessible only by rather long hikes.
Cape Reinga lighthouse
Sunset through the archway
Tasman Sea Sunset
Cape Reinga is a spiritually significant location for the Maori people as it is where the spirits descend down the pohutakawa tree and into the underworld.
Cape Reinga Lighthouse
The lighthouse stands at the meeting point between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, where it has stood since 1941. The last lighthouse keeper left in 1987 and now the lighthouse is run by solar panels and a 1000 watt bulb. The light is bright enough to be seen up to 49 kilometers away!
The walking path down to the lighthouse is fairly easy, although Andrew and I chose to walk to the peak of a nearby hill to get some better views. We visited during the early evening after our afternoon exploring the nearby sand dunes. Watching the frothy whirlpools where the Tasman sea meets the Pacific ocean was quite neat. The colour difference between the two bodies of water was quite visible! We could also verify ourselves that the Tasman sea is a fair bit warmer than the Pacific Ocean. We ran the two German boys that we have been WWOOFing with at 90 mile beach, Thillo and Markus, who were also up visiting the Cape for the day. We decided to have a picnic dinner in our campervan (where it was warmer and out of the wind!) and wait for sunset.
Right before sunset, me, Andrew, and Markus walked down to the lighthouse to join Thillo and watch the sunset. We got lucky and it was beautiful and clear. We all watched the sunset together before Andrew and I walked back up the trail and drove to our campsite. I'm really glad our hosts suggested the trip and gave us the time off to explore!
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