Cape Reinga

Description

Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua (; sometimes spelled Rēinga, Māori: Te Rerenga Wairua) is the northwestern most tip of the Aupōuri Peninsula, at the northern end of the North Island of New Zealand. Cape Reinga is more than 100 km north of the nearest small town of Kaitaia.

In Māori, Te Rerenga Wairua means the leaping-off place of spirits. Reinga is the Māori word for underworld. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld.

Cape Reinga is a popular tourist site, with annual visitor numbers estimated at over 500,000 people. Visitor numbers are growing by about five percent a year, and the increase is likely to become even more now that the road to the cape is fully sealed.