Clockwise from top left: Sign at Cape Reinga, Lighthouse, Cape Reinga, Dinner, Cape Reinga, Sunset at Taputoputo Bay, Lighthouse at the cape, Spaceship Picnic lunch, Us at the lighthouse, Cape Reinga Panorama
Published a day late due to lack of connectivity last night. No internet when you are camping on the beach. 🙂
Starting Point: Whatuwhiwhi
Ending Point: Taputoputo Bay
Kilometers traveled: 150 km
Today we made a big push from our holiday park in Whatuwhiwhi to Cape Reinga at the top of New Zealand. Cape Reinga is many different things. It is one of the northernmost points of New Zealand. It is the place where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet, their currents crashing together in a passionate embrace. For the Maori, this is a sacred place where a person’s spirit comes after death before departing for their eternal home.
In traveling along the the walkway to the point, it feels ilk a spiritual place. And the vistas here are spectacular. A white lighthouse and bright yellow signs popping against the azure blue of the waves. The whitecaps where the currents from the Tasman and the Pacific crash into each other and comingle. The surf here is amazingly loud, even 165meters above the water.
We sat and looked at the ancient Kahika tree, Te Aroha. It grows where no tree of its kind should grow, battered by wind and salt on a hillside. The Maori believe that the spirits descend to the water on steps formed by the tree’s roots, and then continue on their journey to Hawaiki, the spiritual home. We gazed out at Spirit Bay in the distance.
After spending a good bit of time at the Cape, we hopped back into the Spaceship and headed to our campsite at Taputoputo Bay. Kyle found us the perfect spot, on a grassy hillside at the top of the dunes with a view of the beach. We spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out and chilling. We wandered on the beach, we read, we chatted with some of the other campers. We had lamb chops for dinner, cooked with plenty of garlic & served with a red wine pan sauce. We sipped red wine while watching the sunset, which was spectacular….lots of oranges and pinks.
Tomorrow we’ll do a bit of hiking around the Cape and then head back South to experience a bit of 90 mile beach.
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