Cape Rēinga storm repair work restricts access to culturally significant site

Access to Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua will be restricted while repairs at the site after storm damage, including to the right of the viewing platform, take place.

Cape Rēinga/Te Rerenga Wairua is one of Northland’s most visited spots - with more than 120,000 visitors a year pre-Covid - but access to the historic site is limited over the next four to six weeks while storm-damage is repaired.

The Department of Conservation (DoC) said the area was damaged during the May 2023 weather events, and repairs are expected to take four to six weeks to complete.

One of the main areas damaged is the platform around the cape lighthouse and its famous signpost pointing to other destinations around the world that has been included in millions of photographs over the years.

DoC Kaitāia operations manager Meirene Hardy-Birch said though there may be disruptions during the repair work, most of the time visitors will still be able to access part of the area around the lighthouse and signpost and experience the vast and breathtaking views from the site - where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea meet off the lighthouse - and access the car park and toilets.

“On occasion the track may need to be closed for one to two hours while the contractor moves machinery or materials along the track,” Hardy-Birch said.

“The safety of visitors and the contractors working at site is a priority which is why restrictions will be in place where needed.”

Cape Rēinga/Te Rerenga Wairua is a place of great significance to Māori and suffered damage during severe weather in Northland in early May 2023.

Te Paki Recreation Reserve including the viewing area near the lighthouse at Cape Rēinga/Te Rerenga Wairua were affected, and the track was temporarily closed for assessment by engineers, then reopened with a barrier around the damaged area to keep visitors safe.

Part of the platform around Cape Rēinga/Te Rerenga Wairua has collapsed, and access to the site will be restricted while repairs are carried out.

DoC and local iwi Ngāti Kurī have been working together to determine the work programme and have engaged local iwi contractor Far North Roading to undertake the repair work. The work is planned to start at the end of August and finish late September depending on the weather.

Sheridan Waitai from the Ngāti Kurī Trust Board said while repair work at Cape Rēinga/Te Rerenga Wairua is a positive step, people need to remember cyclone damage is extensive across the whole Te Paki Recreation reserve and has affected several walking tracks.

As a result it may take some time to get the full range of visitor experiences and walking tracks back in place and safe for visitor use by this summer season.

About Cape Rēinga:

■ At the Cape, the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean in a spectacular swirl of currents. At the northernmost tip of the cape is a gnarled pōhutukawa tree, believed to be over 800 years old. According to Māori oral history, the spirits of deceased Māori leap from this tree into the ocean to return to their ancestral homeland of Hawaiki.

While it’s not quite the most northern point of New Zealand - North Cape is further north, but it’s a scientific reserve and not open to the public - Cape Rēinga is definitely the end of the road.

From Kaitāia, the drive to Cape Rēinga takes about 1.5 hours each way.

Being a sacred site, eating is not permitted at Cape Rēinga.