Drives Ninety Mile Beach
Cape Reinga and Ninety Mile Beach day with lunch
★ 4.6 · 958 reviews total
- Opening pricefrom $114
- Length11 hrs
- Cancel ruleIncluded
Book your date
Choose a day. Get a quote.
Choose a day and the number of guests. The total recalculates as you go, and the following page shows the live price and open slots.
- Free to cancel up to 24 hrs before
- Book first, pay later
- Sells out around 6 days early
Practical details
What you get, what to bring, what to pay for
Included3
- A live guide who speaks English
- Lunch on the day
- The beach drive and sandboarding, conditions permitting
Bring3
- A change of clothes for the dunes
- A water bottle and snacks
- A windproof jacket
Extras not covered2
- Food and drinks at the tea stops
- A tip for the guide, if you wish
11hours
from Paihia and back, with lunch
46seats
on a bus built to drive the sand
88km
the real length of Ninety Mile Beach
958reviews
from guests on GetYourGuide
Weigh options
Four ways up to Cape Reinga, one table
A smaller group
Cape Reinga: Day Trip from Paihia, Kerikeri, or Kaitaia
★ 4.6 · 67 reviews total
- Opening pricefrom $135
- Length10 hrs
- Cancel ruleIncluded
Hosted by Ngāti Kurī
Cape Reinga: Ngāti Kurī, Māori Cultural Experience and lunch
★ 5.0 · 1 reviews total
- Opening pricefrom $176
- Length11 hrs
- Cancel ruleIncluded
Flights from Paihia
Bay of Islands: Cape Reinga Scenic Flight & Guided Tour
★ None · None reviews total
- Opening pricefrom $320
- Length4.5 hrs
- Cancel ruleIncluded
A guide to the columns
Our coach day beside a small-group trip, the Ngāti Kurī day and a fly-drive, rated and priced live.
Starting rates per person, as listed on GetYourGuide.
Guest stories
What visitors think
4.5
★★★★★958 checked guest reviews
Sliding down the dunes by Ninety Mile Beach was great fun, and I got a front seat in the beach truck. The cape was amazing and George was a kind guide who knew a lot.
KatherineJuly 2026, traveling solo
Our driver and guide Willy was a real character who talked and sang the whole way, which made the long bus ride far more fun. He knew the area well and was honest when he did not know.
PeterMay 2026, as a couple
I loved it all, sandboarding included at my age! The driver was funny, informative and careful, and lunch near the cape was tasty and generous. Plenty of road time, but I would go again.
KarenMay 2026, traveling solo
Willi had energy all day, stopped whenever he spotted something we would have missed and always told us how long we had at each stop. My kids loved the sandboarding.
DebApril 2026, with family
It is a long day with plenty of time on the bus, which makes sense for such a distance. The 4x4 felt less comfortable on the highway, but George kept us right on schedule.
TimothyMarch 2026, as a couple
Berry was so entertaining that the trip flew by. Ninety Mile Beach and the cape itself were incredible, and I would recommend it.
NicoMarch 2026, traveling solo
the day in brief
What the Cape Reinga tour on this site involves
The Cape Reinga tour this site books is an 11-hour round trip from Paihia, narrated live in English, with lunch on the house. You board at the operator office in town, and the coach, built for sand with 46 seats, is cleared to travel along Ninety Mile Beach.
The day strings together the reasons people come this far north: the ride along the sand, the walk to the lighthouse at the tip of the island, and a session of sandboarding at the dunes when the conditions allow. Travel on the beach and the boarding both follow the tide and the weather, so the order of the day can change.
There are morning and afternoon tea stops, where snacks and drinks are bought at your own expense, and you are welcome to bring water, extra snacks and soft drinks on board. Prices start from $114 per person, and nothing is paid until later if you reserve now. The other pages on this site cover prices, the tours compared, the drive, places to stay and every stop on the way.
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View detailsTours throughout Cape Reinga
Browse Cape Reinga live on GetYourGuide
Discover Cape Reinga toursSnapshots
Sand, surf and a lighthouse at the end of the road
Photos from Cape Reinga day trips
why go so far
Why the top of the North Island pulls people north
Cape Reinga is not quite the northernmost point of the country, says Tourism New Zealand: the true northern tip, North Cape, is a scientific reserve with no public access, which leaves Cape Reinga as the place the road runs out. Standing at the car park, with the highway behind you and the ocean ahead, it feels exactly like that.
For Māori it is far more than a road end. For Māori, the Department of Conservation says, this headland holds a spiritual significance unmatched anywhere in the country, and Tourism New Zealand describes the gnarled pōhutukawa at its tip, believed to be over 800 years old, from which spirits leap to return to Hawaiki.
Then there is the sea. Off the point, the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean in a swirl of currents, and the Department of Conservation points to the churning, broken water above the Columbia Bank, off the western side of the headland, where the currents clash. Few places let you see a line on the map drawn in surf.
Grab a spot, cancel for freeClimate chart
Warmth and rain in the far north, month by month
NOAA averages 1991 to 2020 at Kaitaia, 92 km south of the cape as the crow flies, on more sheltered ground.
Choose a month to see its weather figures.
Mean daily highDot key: 20 mm of rain eachNOAA 1991 to 2020 · Station Kaitaia
booking terms
Reserve now, pay later, cancel free
The booking suits travelers whose plans may move. You pay nothing to reserve, and pulling out 24 hours or longer before departure refunds the lot. Lock in a seat on arrival in Paihia, then shift it if the outlook for the north turns grey.
Fares begin at $114 a head, and the date picker shows what your chosen day costs, in the currency you pick. Season and option move the total. Lunch is included, while snacks at the tea stops are extra.
Past riders rate value for money at 4.4 and the transport at 4.5. Read those as a fair warning that this is a long day on a bus, and as a sign that the guides, scored higher still, carry the experience.
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Your day north
Pick a date and head for the top.
Choose your day from Paihia, with free cancellation until 24 hours ahead.
the season
Weather and seasons in the far north
The weather station that covers the cape on this site is at Kaitaia, 92 km due south of the cape (the road is longer at 111 km), so read its averages as the climate of the district, not of the wind-blown point. Its warmest month is February, with an average top of 24.4 °C, while July and August peak at just 15.6 °C.
At the cape the wind decides how it feels. The Department of Conservation warns that it is very exposed, that the weather changes quickly and that strong wind is common, so bring a warm, windproof layer in every season. Rain can blow through fast and clear just as quickly.
The busiest time is late December to early January, and the middle of the day, from 11 am to 3 pm, according to the Department of Conservation. Tourism New Zealand counts summer as December to February. Book early for the holiday weeks, and accept that you will share the lighthouse path with plenty of others then.
Grab a spot, cancel for freeStars at a glance
958 guest opinions
4.5
Excellent★★★★★
- 5 out of 5100%
- 4 out of 50%
- 3 out of 50%
- 2 out of 50%
- 1 out of 50%
Sample shown: the 10 newest reviews we hold. The booking platform lists the strongest reviews first. Across all 958 reviews, the score comes to 4.5.
See times and availability
from $114 · free of charge to cancel
Instantly confirmed · booked through GetYourGuide
what guests praise
What reviewers keep saying about the day
Ask past guests and the guides get the first mention. Guests describe drivers who sing, tell stories and keep a coach full of strangers laughing, and they name them: several different guides appear by name in the newest reviews. The guide sub-score of 4.7 tells the same story.
The beach and the dunes come next. Reviewers write about the thrill of riding along Ninety Mile Beach, about children who loved the sandboarding and about older guests who tried it and were glad they did. One mentions the lunch near the cape as tasty and generous.
They are honest about the length too. Some point out that it is a long day with plenty of road time, and one found the 4x4 bus less comfortable on the highway than on the sand. Even those reviewers tend to call it worth the hours. With 958 reviews averaging 4.5, it is a well-tested trip.
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FAQ
Curious?We explain.
How long is the Cape Reinga tour?
11 hours.
It is a full day from Paihia and back, with lunch included.
What does the Cape Reinga tour cost?
From $114.
Pick a day in the booking panel to see its fare, and pay nothing until later if you reserve now.
Is lunch included?
Yes.
Lunch is part of the day; snacks at the morning and afternoon tea stops are extra.
Does the bus really drive on Ninety Mile Beach?
Yes, tide and weather permitting.
The 46-seat coach is built for the sand and drives the beach when the tide is right.
Is sandboarding included?
Yes, when conditions allow.
Boarding at the dunes depends on the tide and weather; bring a change of clothes.
Where does the tour start?
In Paihia.
Guests meet at the operator office in town; your confirmation gives the details.
Which language does the guide speak?
English.
Commentary on board is live and in English.
Can I eat at Cape Reinga?
Not at the cape itself.
DOC asks visitors not to eat food at the sacred site; drinking water is fine.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
Yes, up to 24 hours before.
Cancel with 24 hours or more to spare for a full refund of the fare.
What happens if a storm hits the far north?
Move the date, or dress for it.
The headland is wind-blown and exposed, and the sand and the dunes hinge on conditions; a free cancellation window closes 24 hours out.
the beach
Ninety Mile Beach, on wheels
The beach is shorter than its name. Tourism New Zealand says it runs from Ahipara to Scott Point and is actually 88 kilometres long, and that this official highway is fit only for 4WD vehicles, and only when the tide allows. Hire firms ban their cars from it.
That makes a Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach tour the simple way to see it from a vehicle. The bus on this tour is built for the beach and drives it when the tide and weather allow. Northland Inc recommends exactly this kind of guided coach tour that includes the beach.
The Te Paki Stream is a popular way on or off the beach at the northern end, and the Department of Conservation notes that it is busy with cars and tourist buses. Expect wide, empty sand, surf on one side, low dunes and forest on the other, and a horizon that seems to go on for ever.
Grab a spot, cancel for free800years and more
A living witness
Tradition holds that the pōhutukawa on the point has stood for more than 800 years.
In Māori oral history, spirits of the dead leap from this gnarled tree into the ocean on their way back to Hawaiki, which is why the headland is treated with such care.
the dunes
Sandboarding at Te Paki
The Te Paki dunes are the most impressive in Northland, says Northland Inc, where the tallest reach up to 150m, and it notes that the beach and cape tours pull in there. On this tour, sandboarding is on the plan when the conditions allow.
Northland Inc pitches sandboarding as a thrill for any age, and guests bear that out, from small children to grandparents. You climb the dune, lie on a board and slide down to the flat sand by the stream. The climb is the hard part.
Bring a change of clothes, as the listing suggests, because sand finds its way into everything. Shoes you can empty and a towel in your bag make the ride home more comfortable.
Grab a spot, cancel for freeThe day in brief
Sand under the wheels.Wind at the light.A day to remember.
Our pick is a guided day of 11 hours from Paihia that includes lunch and a live guide in English. Your ride is a custom-built coach of 46 seats that can roll along Ninety Mile Beach; the plan adds a sandboarding stop when conditions allow and the walk out to the lighthouse. It starts from $114 and has 958 reviews averaging 4.5 on GetYourGuide.
Change your mind? Cancel free until the day before
what to bring
What to wear and pack for the long day
Dress in layers. The cape is windy and exposed, and the weather can swing from sun to showers within an hour. A shell against rain, a fleece and a hat that ties on will see you through, plus sunscreen for the sand.
Pack a water bottle and snacks, which are welcome on board, and some money for the tea stops. Keep the snacks packed away at the headland itself, a sacred site where food has no place, though a sip of water is fine.
Throw in spare clothes for after the dunes, a charged phone or camera and a light daypack for the lighthouse path. Signal fades across Te Paki, so save maps and tickets to your phone in Paihia.
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the lighthouse
The walk to the lighthouse at the top
From the car park, the walk to the lighthouse is 800 m each way, takes about 10 minutes and is easy enough for children and buggies. Parts of it are steep for wheelchairs, according to the Department of Conservation.
Lit for the first time in May 1941, it was the final staffed lighthouse New Zealand built, a tower of 10m perched 165m above the waves. Its keepers left in 1987, and today it is run by computer from Wellington.
Westward the lookout faces Cape Maria van Diemen and Motuopao Island, eastward Spirits Bay, and in clear air the distant Three Kings Islands may show. Stay on the paved track: there are steep drop-offs around the light.
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See what dates are open
Every price is pulled live from GetYourGuide and matches their own page; we enter none by hand.
See dates and prices
- Free to cancel up to 24 hrs before
- Book first, pay later
- $114 and up for each person
Local time in Northland: --:--
visiting with respect
Te Rerenga Wairua: how to visit respectfully
Te Rerenga Wairua is the Māori name of the place, and it is sacred. The department asks that meals stay off this ground, with plain water the one exception, while Northland Inc goes further and asks visitors to skip both eating and drinking there. Plan to eat away from the headland.
Burying or scattering ashes is out of place here too, the department explains, given the sacred nature of the cape. There are no rubbish bins, so take everything back with you.
The campground nearest the light, at Tapotupotu, is in the care of Ngāti Kuri. A quiet voice, a careful step and a moment to take in the view are all the place asks of you.
Grab a spot, cancel for freewho it suits
Is this day for you? The fit and the limits
It suits travelers based in the Bay of Islands who want to see the top of the country in a single day without driving, and anyone who wants to ride on Ninety Mile Beach, which rental cars may not do. Families with children who like sand and adventure tend to love it.
It suits less well if you hate long days on a bus. The tour lasts 11 hours, and the cape itself is 111 km north of Kaitaia, which is already 118 km from Paihia. If time is tight, the flight tour or a night closer to the cape may suit you better.
Whatever the weather, Cape Reinga, New Zealand, is a hard place to forget. If the forecast looks grim, move the day: free cancellation applies until 24 hours before. When the sun is out and the oceans churn below the lighthouse, the long road north makes complete sense.
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