Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga
New Zealand's  north coast ends in a peninsula.   Here the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean, in a spectacular swirl of currents.

The main draw of the north coast is Cape Reinga.  Situated  at the meeting of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Cape Reinga, also known as Te Rerenga Wairua, is a beautiful cape featuring a lighthouse that was first installed in 1879.

Many walking and strolling paths and excellent bird watching opportunities abound in the area.

Cape Reinga is a place of spiritual significance to the Maori.
The name of the cape comes from the Māori word 'Reinga', meaning the 'Underworld'.  Another Māori name is 'Te Rerenga Wairua', meaning the leaping-off place of spirits.
 It is the Maori belief that after death, the Maori spirit travels to the pohutukawa tree (believed to be over 800 years old)  located at Te Rerenga Wairua.  According to Maori oral history, the spirits of Maori deceased travel down the ancient roots of this tree into the ocean to return to their ancestral homeland of Hawaiiki.

 A sign post situated near the Cape Reinga Lighthouse displays the travelling distances to different areas located around the world.

Pointing in various directions, each sign has a destination on it, how many driving miles and kilometers it is to reach each location as well as a web site relating to each place.
As of January 2007, Cape Reinga is on the tentative list of UNESCO waiting to receive World Heritage Site status.

Below are some of the signs posted along the path to the light house:

1.  Descending to the Underworld
The rocky point jutting out to sea is Te Reinga - the place where the spirits enter the underworld.  Clinging to the rock there is thye ancient Kahika tree, named Te Aroha.  The spirits descend to the water on steps formed by the tree's roots. They then continue on their journey to Hawaiki, the spiritual home.

2.   Ancient Survivor
The ancient tree you can see on the rocky point, Te Reinga, is known locally as a Kahika.  It survives as pohutukawa trees often do,in what seems impossible conditions - even on a rock face lashed by salt winds.

3.  Waters for the Spirit
There are two springs in the hillside below here.  One is known as Te Waiora a
Tane (the living waters of the deity Tane).  It represents the cleansing of the dead person's spirit.  Water used in funeral ceremonies throughout New Zealand is called 'Te Walora a Tane,.
The name of the other spring is te wal Whero O Rata.  If the spirits drink the spring's water, they will carry on to the spirit world.  If they do not, they will return to the land of the living.

Don and I waited around hoping to see a whale or a porpoise swimming around in the bay around the Scratching Rock.

Now that we have visited the north coast of New Zealand, barring floods and earthquakes (tremors continue to plague Christchurch) , we hope to visit the south coast before we depart for Canada.