Cape Reinga's lighthouse

This iconic lighthouse was built in 1941 and first lit in May that same year. It was the last manned lighthouse in NZ and it replaced the Cape Maria Van Diemen lighthouse located on nearby Motuopao Island which had been built in 1879. Accessing that lighthouse had been difficult due to rough seas so in 1938 it was decided to move it to Cape Reinga for safety reason.

The complete lantern fittings were reused though the new lighthouse was fitted with a 1000 watt electrical lamp instead that could be seen for 26 nautical miles and the lamp was powered with a diesel generator.

In 1987 the lighthouse was fully automated and keepers were no longer needed. It is now monitored remotely from Wellington. To get here from where we live it is about 3 hours drive north through a long isolated main state highway where there is the occasional farm and shop but it s a very popular tourist attraction.

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Summer days at 90 Mile beach

This is one place I want to get back to once Summer comes from December until March. 90 Mile Beach is one of those places that goes on and on stretching from Kaitaia up to Cape Reinga. It's on the west coast of our North Island and is approx 88 miles long.

Its beach and sand dunes are popular with tourists - this area has been the culprit of quite a few shipwrecks in the old days. Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear drove along here in one of their episodes with James May.

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Good old Cape Reinga

First time I've ever visited this spot in my life - strange considering I lived in Northland for 20 years. Anyway Cape Reinga is the northernmost tip at the northern end of the north island. The nearest town, Kaitaia is about 100km away. The Maori people believe that the the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld.

This area is considered to be the separation marker between the Tasman sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the right.  The lighthouse was built in 1941 and first lit in May of that year - in 1987 the lighthouse was fully automated and there was no further need for lighthouse keepers to be there.

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