Cape Reinga - Lighthouse

From the lighthouse on Cape Reinga there are tremendous views - westward along the coast to Cape Maria van Diemen (so named by Tasman), eastward as far as the North Cape. If visibility is good the Three Kings Islands - so called by Tasman because he sailed past them on Epiphany in 1643 - can be seen in the distance.

The lighthouse, 165m above sea level, was built in 1941. Below it an ancient pohutukawa tree hangs over the sheer cliff. To the Maoris it is sacred, for from here, they believe, souls plunge at sunset into the sea and down into the underworld to return to Hawaiki.