During my stay in Auckland, I decided on a whim to drive north and see New Zealand’s northernmost lighthouse before flying home. Cape Reinga is about six hours each way from Auckland. I’d been living in New Zealand long enough to feel comfortable behind the wheel, so I figured it would be straightforward. That kind of confidence, as it turns out, is usually a sign that something is about to go wrong.
First Stop: Matauri Bay
On the way north, I pulled over at Matauri Bay. It stopped me completely. The bay is one of those places that’s difficult to describe without sounding like you’re exaggerating — wide, pristine, with the particular quality of light that coastal New Zealand does better than almost anywhere. It also carries significant historical weight: the site of early Polynesian landing traditions, connected to the Kupe legend, and the location of Samuel Marsden’s arrival. A place that means something beyond its appearance. Stumbling across it accidentally turned out to be one of the best parts of the day.
A Near-Miss with a Tanker Truck
The good mood didn’t last long. Further north, the highway ended without much warning and a stop sign appeared. I turned left without checking carefully enough. The road immediately narrowed to a single lane — one direction at a time, alternating traffic.
A tanker truck was coming the other way.
We both stopped in time. The driver was, reasonably, furious. I accepted this without argument — the fault was entirely mine. That we avoided a serious accident was genuinely lucky. Whoever designed that particular junction clearly assumed drivers would read the signage more carefully than I did. Local knowledge, presumably.
I continued north, shaken but intact, not yet knowing there was another incident ahead.
90 Mile Beach: Worth the Detour, Costly in Time
Further north, I turned off to 90 Mile Beach. The name is accurate in spirit if not in precise measurement: the beach extends in a straight, unbroken line for as far as you can see in either direction. I parked, walked, and stood at the edge of the water for longer than I planned. It has that effect on people.
The delay was pleasant in the moment. The impact on the rest of the schedule became clear later.
The Final Push to Cape Reinga
Back on the road and heading north, the landscape changed significantly. The road narrowed, the towns disappeared, the petrol stations disappeared. The sense of being genuinely far from anything accumulated gradually. By the time Cape Reinga was close, the light was low.
Arrived. Couldn’t See Anything.
I reached the car park as the sun was setting. The lighthouse was a short walk away — supposedly visible immediately. By the time I got there, it was dark enough that the details were lost.
The ocean at dusk was beautiful. That’s true and it’s also not why I drove six hours.
I stood there for a moment, took a photograph, and started back toward the car. The lighthouse was somewhere in that darkness.
Followed Through the Dark
The nearest accommodation was over an hour away. I was driving through complete darkness on a narrow mountain road when a car parked on the verge suddenly pulled out and fell in behind me.
I didn’t think much of it initially. Then the car started flashing its headlights.
I accelerated and passed several vehicles to put distance between us. The car behind did the same, and returned to my tail. In pitch darkness on an empty mountain road, this was alarming enough that I pushed the speed up further. The car kept pace.
I was close to the hotel but didn’t want to pull in — if whoever this was had bad intentions, I didn’t want them knowing where I was staying. I drove past and pulled into a gas station instead. Filled the tank, paid, walked outside.
The car pulled into the gas station.
The driver walked past me without speaking, holding eye contact, and went into the shop. I got in my car, drove back the way I’d come, stopped in a restaurant car park to confirm I wasn’t being followed, and then made it to the hotel.
A near-collision with a tanker truck and then this — in the same day. I didn’t sleep particularly well that night.
The Next Morning: Straight Home
By morning, the lighthouse felt like someone else’s problem. I drove back to Auckland without stopping.
Cape Reinga: technically visited, not actually seen.
Looking at the photographs now — Matauri Bay, 90 Mile Beach, the dusk over the ocean — I can see that the day had real beauty in it. At the time, it didn’t feel that way. These things take distance to process. And the lesson, if there is one, is that long drives to remote places require more planning than I gave this one.
Advice for Anyone Planning This Trip
① Leave very early from Auckland Six hours each way, plus stops. If you want to reach Cape Reinga in daylight with time to actually see the lighthouse, a pre-dawn departure is not an exaggeration. Mid-morning is already cutting it close.
② Consider an overnight stop along the way Breaking the journey — somewhere around Cable Bay or the Bay of Islands — gives you a reasonable schedule in both directions. The full return trip in a single day is possible but leaves almost no margin.
③ Watch for the single-lane roads When the highway ends, it can end into a one-lane alternating road without much notice. Read the signage before you commit to a turn.
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