14 Summer DAY TRIPS
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Find the maps and route notes for these trips at www.wildernessmag.co.nz
1 TAPOTUPOTU BAY TO CAPE REINGA, NORTHLAND
Distance: 5km return Time: 4hr Grade: Easy
BY MATTHEW CATTIN
Too few tourists venture past the Cape Reinga lighthouse which is a pity; the track leading to Tapotupotu Bay is one of the finest coastal walks in the country.
From the car park, a steady downhill ridge leads to the deeply set Sandy Bay, known for passing whales that scratch themselves on a rock protruding from the bay. Swimming here is a must – the water is turquoise and the sand a blinding white – but beware the currents which drag out to sea.
From the beach, it’s a steady and exposed climb, with over-the-shoulder views of a unique angle of Cape Reinga. The track continues east through windswept mānuka bush offering dizzying views down steep clifftops, before descending to Tapotupotu. This north-facing gem offers safer swimming and a DOC campground, though mosquitoes seem compelled to keep this paradise pristine.
2 TE WHARA TRACK, NORTHLAND
Distance: 7.5km return Time: 5-6hr Grade: Moderate
BY MATTHEW CATTIN
If Bream Head is pictured as a great dragon slumbering on its belly, walking the Te Whara Track is to traverse its spine from snout to tail.
Te Whara rates amongst the best day walks in Northland. It follows in the footsteps of Māori ancestors, delivering an honest day of tramping with serious elevation changes and sets of gruelling stairs. It’s possible to walk in either direction,
