Cape Reinga Lighthouse, Lighthouse in Far North District, New Zealand.
Cape Reinga Lighthouse is an octagonal white concrete tower with a black dome, standing at Cape Reinga in the Northland Region. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand. The lighthouse is not open to the public.
Built in 1941 and first lit that May, it was New Zealand's last manned light and replaced the 1879 Cape Maria Van Diemen Lighthouse on Motuopao Island. The 1938 decision to move it followed the 1933 death of a keeper's wife, blown from the island's cliffs into the sea. Its lantern fittings came from Motuopao, but a 1000-watt electric lamp, powered by a diesel generator, was fitted instead.
This location holds deep meaning in Maori tradition as the place where ancestral spirits begin their final journey and pass through an ancient pohutukawa tree to their homeland.
The lighthouse itself is closed to visitors, so the tower and its lantern cannot be entered. The headland is reached by road from Kaitaia, about 110 km south, and the sealed road only arrived in the mid-1960s. The light flashes white every 12 seconds and is monitored remotely from Wellington.
The site marks where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean, with distinct wave patterns and water colors visible from the headland. On calm days, visitors can sometimes observe the boundary line where the two water bodies meet.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,766 contributors worldwide.
