At the Cape, the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean in a spectacular swirl of currents. At the northernmost tip of the Cape is a gnarled pohutukawa tree, believed to be over 800 years old. According to Māori oral history, the spirits of deceased Māori leap from this tree into the ocean to return to their ancestral homeland of Hawaiki. While it's not quite the most northern point of New Zealand (North Cape is further north, but it's a scientific reserve and not open to the public), Cape Reinga is definitely the end of the road.
