Cape Reinga, Northland, New Zealand
Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua is the northwesternmost tip of the Aupouri Peninsula, at the northern end of the North Island of New Zealand. Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua is more than 100 km north of the nearest small town of Kaitaia. State Highway 1 extends all the way to the cape, but until 2010 was unsealed gravel road for the last 19 km. Suitable vehicles can also travel much of the way via Ninety Mile Beach and Kauaeparaoa Stream stream bed.
The ‘Te Rerenga Wairua’ component of the name in Māori language means the leaping-off place of spirits. The ‘Reinga’ part of the name is the Māori language word meaning the underworld. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld.
Epic New Zealand Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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