Cape Reinga (Te Rerenga Wairua)

The northern tip of the North Island, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean in a line of clashing waves off the point. For Māori it's the most sacred place in the country: the leaping-off place of spirits, which travel down the roots of an 800-year-old pōhutukawa tree on the headland to return to their ancestral homeland of Hawaiki.

A sealed path of about 1 km (20 minutes) leads from the car park to the white lighthouse, with signs explaining the stories along the way. Please don't eat or drink on the headland, out of respect. Te Paki Coastal Track runs along the cliffs to Tapotupotu Bay and Spirits Bay, where there are DOC campsites.

It's about 1 hour 45 minutes' drive north of Kaitaia on a fully sealed road. Fill up with fuel in Kaitaia or Houhora, as there's none further north.