Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Destinations
    • Europe
    • North America
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Africa and Middle East
    • New Zealand
    • South America
  • Photography
    • Buy Photos
    • Photography Gear Guides
    • Photography Tips
    • Location Guides
  • PHOTO COURSE
  • About Us
    • Hire Us
    • Travel Resources
  • Contact
Home » Destinations » New Zealand » New Zealand’s Spectacular East Cape
Finding the Universe contains affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

New Zealand’s Spectacular East Cape

Last updated: November 25, 2017. Written by Laurence Norah - 13 Comments

The East Cape of New Zealand’s North island has a lot going for it. Driftwood fringed beaches jut up against towering cliffs and deserted roads. Spectacular vistas lie around every corner. And it is perhaps the most Maori influenced part of all New Zealand – the closest one may come to seeing how New Zealand may have ended up had the Brits not landed a couple of centuries ago.

History is all over the place here. It was here that Captain Cook landed back in the 18th century, and it was also here that the first Maori canoes, or wakas, landed over eight hundred years ago.

Despite all of this, a woeful 1% of visitors to New Zealand make it out to the East Cape. On our trip, it wasn’t hard to see why. The roads, where they exist and haven’t been washed off the cliff faces, are winding and long. Distances take a while to achieve. But the rewards are entirely worth it.

From historical piers, to Maori maraes, to unbelievable vistas and black sanded beaches, to the landing points of Captain Cook and the scenery from New Zealand classics such as The Whale Rider, the East Cape really is a place that should be on more visitors itineraries. Rather than going on about this in words, here are a number of photos to help explain what I mean. Enjoy.

Tolaga Bay beach

The shell studded black sand beach of Tolaga Bay

Raukokore Church

Horses roam freely in many parts, here by the beautifully picturesque Raukokore Church. Penguins nest on the shore here.

Driftwood coated beach

The shores of most of the beaches we visited were littered with driftwood, a result of the three weeks of torrential damaging rain that had just taken place.

Road to the East Cape Lighthouse

The road to the East Cape lighthouse, the most easterly point of mainland New Zealand and the first place on earth to see the sunrise.

Maori carving

Maori culture is front and centre of East Cape life, and this Maori carving is an example of the art that is on display everywhere you look as you travel around.

Tolaga Bay Cliffs at sunset

The cliffs of Tolaga Bay at sunset. Not far from here is Cooks Cove, where Captain Cook made his second landing onto New Zealand soil.

Rock in the sand

The sand on these beaches is really quite remarkably dark. Here is a picture of a rock to help show that 😉

Tolaga Bay Wharf

Finally, Tolaga Bay Wharf at sunset. At 660 metres long, this claims to be the longest wharf in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cape Cook Panoramic

Enjoyed this post? Why not share it!

Home » Destinations » New Zealand » New Zealand’s Spectacular East Cape

Monthly Giveaway

Don't miss out on our exclusive monthly giveaways with lots of fun travel and photography related prizes! Click here to see our current giveaway and enter!

There are 13 comments on this post

Please scroll to the end to leave a comment

  1. Hilde Swets says

    22nd December 2016 at 8:51 am

    Followed your advise and did a 5 day trip to the East Coast! Loved the hike to Captains Cook Cove. The beautifull bays are so relexing. Enjoyed the talks with some locals. And the drive to the lighthouse is just fab!
    Placed some pics on my Instagram account @bluehillies

    Reply
    • Laurence says

      22nd December 2016 at 9:40 am

      Fantastic Hilde – pleased you enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply
  2. La Ines says

    11th March 2015 at 4:18 am

    thanks so much! u gave me some useful tips for my new year’s trip =)

    Reply
  3. Rob Crawford says

    23rd August 2011 at 6:58 am

    So glad you managed to get out to the East Cape Laurence. It sure is another world but one that is unlike any other location in NZ. Very special place.

    Reply
    • Laurence says

      23rd August 2011 at 7:53 am

      Hey Rob, it sure was. It’s a bit off the usual north island route, but absolutely worth taking the time to see 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂

      Reply
  4. Cam Wears says

    2nd June 2011 at 10:01 pm

    Some great photos Laurence!

    Reply
    • Laurence says

      3rd June 2011 at 5:01 am

      Cheers!

      Reply
  5. Sandal Road says

    30th May 2011 at 2:12 am

    Awesome that you got to go to the East Cape. I intend to make it part of my next trip to New Zealand. I’ve never been to that part before, but my friend keeps reminding me that I missed out on what he thinks is one of the most beautiful parts of NZ. Your pictures certainly confirm that.

    Reply
    • Laurence says

      30th May 2011 at 3:55 am

      Many thanks. It was really a highlight of the trip so far, just spectacular
      stuff. And so few people make it out there that it is really uncrowded 🙂

      Reply
  6. Amanda Williams says

    29th May 2011 at 9:38 pm

    Amazing! Makes me want to turn around and head back to NZ right away!

    Reply
    • Laurence says

      29th May 2011 at 10:52 pm

      Do it 😉

      Reply
  7. Dave and Deb says

    29th May 2011 at 7:50 pm

    Great post guys. We loved New Zealand and you have done a fabulous job capturing it in your images!

    Reply
    • Laurence says

      29th May 2011 at 8:17 pm

      Cheers guys! We’re off to the South island today, really looking forward
      to taking more shots 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let me know when there's a reply to my comment (just replies to your comment, no other e-mails, we promise!)

Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter where we share our latest travel news and tips. This also makes you eligible to enter our monthly giveaways!

We only ask for your e-mail so we can verify you are human and if requested notify you of a reply. To do this, we store your data as outlined in our privacy policy. Your e-mail will not be published or used for any other reason other than those outlined above.

About Us

Laurence and Jessica Norah

Hi there! We're Laurence and Jessica Norah. We've been running this site since 2010 as full time professional travel bloggers. We visit all the places we write about personally, and all our content is based on our own first hand travel experiences. We also take all the photos you see on our sites. So grab a drink, dive in, and read on! You can also find out more about us here. Comic included.
Photography course
monthly giveaway
Carbon Neutral Policy

SUBSCRIBE BY E-MAIL

Want to keep up to date with us and our latest travel tips? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Being a subscriber also makes you eligible to enter our monthly travel and photography giveaways!

Thank you!

Please check your e-mail to confirm your sign up.

Affiliate Information

This website contains affiliate links to products and services that generate a small income to us if you choose to use them, at no cost to you. We only recommend products and services that we use ourselves, and will always link to relevant information, regardless of whether or not there is an affiliate program. See our Code of Ethics for more information.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Work with us
  • Contact us
  • Blog
  • Destinations
  • Travel Resources
  • Photography Tips
  • Monthly Giveaway
  • Web Stories

© Copyright 2010 - 2021 Finding the Universe®· All Rights Reserved ·
Part of Travel Cats Media Ltd. Registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 11524454.