Bay of Islands & Cape Reinga

At the very north of the North Island lie two places that couldn't be more different yet belong together: the Bay of Islands — 144 subtropical islands in turquoise blue water — and Cape Reinga, the spiritual end of the land, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific.

★★★ Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is New Zealand's subtropical paradise: 144 islands, turquoise water warm enough for swimming (22–24°C in summer), dolphins, whales, and some of the best diving and sailing areas in the Southern Hemisphere. The Māori settled here over 700 years ago, and the first European missionaries also landed here.

The Waitangi Treaty Grounds (from 50 NZD, Paihia) are New Zealand's most historically significant site. Here, on February 6, 1840, Māori chiefs and the British Crown signed the Treaty of Waitangi — New Zealand's founding document. The modern museum brilliantly explains the two versions of the treaty (English and Māori, with fundamental differences), the consequences of colonialism, and the ongoing reconciliation process. Daily cultural shows (Haka, Waiata, Poi dance, included in admission) take place in the attached Wharenui (meeting house). Plan at least 2 hours.

The famous Hole in the Rock boat tour (from 115 NZD, 4 hours, from Paihia or Russell) sails along the islands of the Bay to Motukōkako — a rock island with a natural hole (18 m high, 11 m wide) through which the boat passes in calm seas. Along the way: dolphin watching (bottlenose dolphins), Cape Brett Lighthouse, and often orcas or Bryde's whales. Dolphin swimming is bookable as an additional option (from 135 NZD).

The charming Russell (15 min. by ferry from Paihia, 14 NZD return) was once New Zealand's first capital and infamous as the "Hellhole of the Pacific" — full of whalers, drinking sprees, and brothels. Today, it is a sleepy, elegant fishing village with the country's oldest pub (Duke of Marlborough, continuously licensed since 1827 — fish & chips by the water, pint from 12 NZD) and the white Christ Church (1836, New Zealand's oldest surviving church, with musket holes from the New Zealand Wars in the walls).

★★ Cape Reinga — Te Rerenga Wairua

Cape Reinga is the northernmost point in New Zealand accessible by car — and for the Māori, the most spiritually significant: Te Rerenga Wairua, "the leaping place of spirits." Here, at the tip of a long, stormy cape, where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific meet (you can see the currents collide!), the souls of the deceased, according to Māori belief, climb down an ancient pōhutukawa tree into the sea to return to Hawaiki — the mythical homeland.

The drive to the cape (110 km north of Kaitaia) leads over a winding, lonely road through the Te Paki Stream — whose giant sand dunes you can slide down on a borrowed boogie board (sandboarding, free experience, boards available from tour providers). The 90 Mile Beach (actually only 88 km long) stretches endlessly along the west coast — a highway of sand on which some tour buses actually drive (NOT recommended with rental cars — insurance invalid and cars regularly get stuck!).