Overview of Cape Reinga, New Zealand’s most northerly point.

Mark Read

The Far North

Here’s your chance to get off the beaten track, even if that sometimes means onto unsealed roads. The far-flung Far North always plays second fiddle to the Bay of Islands for attention and funding, yet the subtropical tip of the North Island has more breathtaking coastline per square kilometre than anywhere apart from the offshore islands. While the ‘winterless north’ may be a popular misnomer, summers here are long and leisurely. Note that parts of the Far North are noticeably economically depressed and in places could best be described as gritty.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Cape Reinga
The Far North
This dramatic headland is where the waters of the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet, swirling and breaking together into waves up to 10m high in stormy…
Te Paki Giant Sand Dunes
The Far North
A large chunk of the land around Cape Reinga is part of the Te Paki Recreation Reserves managed by DOC. It’s public land with free access; leave the gates…
Te Ahu Centre
The Far North
This civic and community centre features a cinema, a theatre, a tourist information centre, a gallery and the Te Ahu Heritage exhibits of the Far North…
Gumdiggers Park
The Far North
Kauri forests covered this area for 100,000 years, leaving ancient logs and the much-prized gum (used for making varnish and linoleum) buried beneath…
Butler Point Whaling Museum
The Far North
This small private museum is set in lovely gardens at Hihi, 15km northeast of Mangonui. The centrepiece is a still-lived-in Victorian homestead built by…
Shipwreck Bay
The Far North
The best surfing is at this small cove at Ahipara's western edge, so named for shipwrecks still visible at low tide.
Ngā-Tapuwae-o-te-Mangai
The Far North
With its two domed towers (Arepa and Omeka, alpha and omega) and the Rātana emblem of the star and crescent moon, you could be forgiven for mistaking this…
Great Exhibition Bay
The Far North
On the east coast, Great Exhibition Bay has dazzling snow-white silica dunes. There’s no public road access, but some tours pay a koha (donation) to cross…