Walk the Te Paki Coastal Path; a North Island hidden gem!
Last updated on January 15th, 2026 at 10:24 pm
Distance: 48km one way
Time: 4-5 days
Suggested start: Kapowairua / Spirits Bay Campsite Northland
Sleep: camping required – no huts available
Boil water available at the campsites
***** Current update: The track from Spirits Bay to Cape Reinga is closed due to cyclone damage – but its still worth the walk from Cape Reinga Lighthouse to Twilight beach and on to the Te Paki dunes! Hopefully by the time you read this, it will all be open again. ******
This is one of my most favourite tracks in NZ – not just the North Island! Logistically it appears a little difficult in terms of getting to and from the start and finish, but I had no problem with a short hitch or two.
To get to the start at Kapowairua / Spirits Bay campground, you can drive if you have a car, or hitch. I got a ride to the Waitiki Landing Holiday Park (where you can camp for a night before your walk), and then simply asked friendly looking souls that stopped for food or petrol if they could give me a lift if they were going that way. It took about 5 minutes to get a ride!
Day 1. Walk from the Spirits Bay campground to Pandora campsite.
Distance: 9km
Time: 3 hours
Leave from the campground heading along the long sandy beach. Walk either along the marked path behind the beach, or, walk along the beach and look for the orange marker to tell you when to cross the dunes to the lagoon area. Its easier walking behind the beach, but of course, walking along a beach is always great! Near the end of the beach you head into a lovely lagoon area with plenty of boardwalks to keep you above the water. Then its over a small hill through the bush, and along more coastline until you get to Pandora campsite.
The campsite is a great place to spend a bit of time. Explore the beach and birdlife and you will easily while away a few hours. Then the best bit in my opinion is just a few minutes up the track from the campsite. The craziest river pools!! Big enough for one or two, they are deep enough to stand in – a great place to have a drink and take in the view!
This is a perfect campsite with one exception. Overnight my tent got absolutely swamped with mozzies (mosquitos) so I had to dress with every inch from head to toe covered before I was brave enough to open the zip. And then I zoomed through the pack up and got away. For some reason others camping up the hill a bit from me had no problem. So I suggest you don’t camp near the bottom of the campground!
Note: It’s a long walk along the beach so I think best done early or later in the day if its the height of summer. You wont find any shade!
Day 2. Walk from Pandora campsite to Tapotupotu Bay campground (and Cape Reinga).
Distance: 9km
Time: 3 hours to Tapotupotu Bay
(plus 5km and 2 hours from Cape Reinga to Tapotupotu Bay)
Have an early morning dip in the pools before you head off on a steady climb up the hill. You then walk along a ridgeline with great views across the Pacific ocean to the right and as far as Cape Maria van Diemen and the Tasman Sea to the left! You will also get your first glimpse of ‘the lighthouse’ at Cape Reinga. It would be great in spring with all the manuka you walk through in flower, but I’m glad I did it in summer, as you know I like to swim!
Drop down a hill to the Tapotupotu Bay campground. Its a fantastic campground with drive in access from the Cape Reinga road, and great for swimming. I found the people running it unfriendly, but the other campers were all great so it didn’t matter.
Now this is where I though I was terribly clever. there was plenty of traffic in and out of the campground so I stood at the entrance to the campground and asked people going out if they were heading to the lighthouse and could I have a lift. Of course the first car was doing just that and let me jump in. Perfect!!
I then walked to the lighthouse, along with the masses, watched the two seas collide for a while which is pretty cool really, and then walked on the track back to the Tapotupotu Bay campground with no pack! Brilliant – that part of the walk done the easy way.
Between Cape Reinga and Tapotupotu Bay there is a great little beach called Sandy Bay – the perfect place for a snack etc. Note that going in this direction means a lot more downhill than the other direction – which is pretty much uphill all the way. Double win – no pack and downhill!
Note: Watch out for fernbirds and grey warblers on this section. Fingers crossed you see some.
Day 3. Walk from Cape Reinga Carpark (or Tapotupotu Bay) to Twilight Beach Campsite
Distance: 12km
Time: 3.5 hours to Twilight campsite
(plus 5km and 3 hours from Tapotupotu Bay to Cape Reinga if you haven’t walked that on Day 2)
Ok so if you do what I did on Day 2, hitch back to Cape Reinga and start walking from there.
If you didn’t then, its about a 3 hour uphill walk to Cape Reinga and you might chose to spend an extra night camping wild somewhere en-route to the Twilight Campsite. Mind you, you have all day – its just that if its hot then you are very exposed on the walk to the Twilight Beach campsite.
Definitely my favourite day for mind-blowing scenery! Dusky pink / peach sandstone, golden yellow / cream dunes, wild seas and birds – I took a million photos, so the time was a lot longer than suggested.
Start by heading down a steep hill to Te Werahi beach. some day walkers will likely be around but once you start walking along the beach you have less and less chance of seeing anyone. follow the path across the dunes and sandstone (it can be very hot walking across this area) and eventually you will get to some welcome small bushes where you can sit and take a break from the sun!
The rest of the track is through this bush land and along Twilight Beach itself. The campground is at the far end of Twilight Beach in a lovely setting above the beach. The night I was there I even had some feathered friends – along with 4 other campers.
Notes:
There is a side walk to Cape Maria van Diemen about an hour from Cape Reinga – it will add an extra 1.5 hours to the walk – but the scenery is spectacular so if you have the time…..
This is the beginning of 3000km and four to five month long Te Araroa trail which goes from Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island to Bluff at the bottom of the South Island.
Day 4. Twilight Beach Campsite to Te Paki Stream
Distance: 11km
Time: 4.5 hours
Leave the campsite following the orange markers. this was not so interesting to start – low bush and some farmland, but when you come to the boardwalk / stairway it takes you down to Ninety Mile Beach.
It’s incredibly soul regenerating walking along this incredibly long stretch of sand beside a wild sea – don’t worry, you’re not about to walk 90 miles.
After about an hour and half you get to Te Paki stream. Follow the trail inland for another hour and half until you get to the parking lot. Hopefully you will see people boarding on the massive sand-dunes and can hitch a lift back to Waitiki Landing. I was unlucky and had to walk most of the way – its another 9km but it didn’t seem that long.
THE END…. of the walk!
As I said, the Te Paki Coastal Path is a real favourite with me. It was so refreshing to have such a change in scenery from the more common mountain / volcanic / forest / lake / river walks that New Zealand has on offer. It really is a treat!
Ask me questions in the comments – or let me know how you went on the walk!