Cape Reinga & 90 Mile Beach tour from Paihia: lighthouse walk

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Free cancellationExcellent qualityLikely to sell out

1/11

Duration11h

GroupUp to 11

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Walk to Cape Reinga's lighthouse and feel the two oceans collide

A full-day guided tour from Paihia to Cape Reinga, 90 Mile Beach, Te Paki Stream and Mangonui, with a knowledgeable tour leader, air-conditioned vehicle and lunch stop included. The tour takes 11 hours and carries a maximum of 11 passengers. Children from age 11 are welcome, and pickup from your Paihia accommodation is included.

11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Full day Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach tour

Stop at southern end of 90 Mile Beach
Walk the beach
Visit Cape Reinga lighthouse
Experience two oceans colliding
Climb Te Paki Stream sand dunes
Optional sandboard on dunes
Walk promenade in Mangonui
Enjoy a beer at Mangonui Tavern

The Experience

The day starts with pickup from your Paihia hotel and heads north toward Cape Reinga. Along the way you stop at the southern end of 90 Mile Beach, where you step out and walk the vast expanse of sand — one of New Zealand's most recognizable stretches of coastline. The beach itself is the kind of place that makes the scale of the country obvious: flat, wide, and open to the Tasman Sea.

Cape Reinga is the centerpiece. You walk the path to the lighthouse perched on the edge of the North Island, where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet in a visible swirl of currents. According to Maori history, this is where spirits begin their journey to Hawaiki, the ancestral homeland — the place carries a weight that most travelers feel the moment they arrive. The lighthouse sits at the point where the two oceans collide, and the crashing of the waves against the rocks below is audible from the path.

After Cape Reinga, the tour heads south to Te Paki Stream, where massive sand dunes rise inland. You climb to the top — the views stretch across the northern tip of the country. If you want to sandboard down (boards available for cash hire), that option is there; if not, the walk alone is the draw. By afternoon you're working back toward Paihia via Mangonui, a small historic town where you can walk the promenade and stop at the local tavern. Lunch is a stop at Taipa on the way north, where you can buy food; the tour leader navigates the day with humor and local knowledge throughout.

What’s included

Air-conditioned vehicle transport from Paihia.
knowledgeable tour leader for the full day.
lunch stop at Taipa where you can purchase food.
access to walk 90 Mile Beach, the path to Cape Reinga lighthouse, the Te Paki sand dunes, and the Mangonui promenade.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcome

Operated by Mullarkey Tours Limited

Is this one for you?At 11 hours, this tour fills most of a day and leaves the rest of your schedule open for other activities in the Bay of Islands or a return to your accommodation. The fixed itinerary and included transport mean you're not arranging the route or managing multiple stops — the day is built for you, and the small group size keeps the pace manageable for all fitness levels.