Te Paki is the highest of the 4 summits at the top of mainland New Zealand. We decided since we were already so far north that we should see Cape Reinga and attempt a summit. The drive from the Bay of Islands is about 2 hours so it is still a fair hike. We eyed up Hiriki ZL1/NL-082 first however the track shown on the map appeared to be overgrown and would take some serious bush bashing through gorse. So we went to Te Paki. On the way up you are treated to fantastic views of the sand dunes and the Tasman sea. There are no views from the trig however.
18 contacts in total made (with a few repeats) – with my first Warren to Warren summit to summit with VK3BYD. 2 VHF contacts in the log were a nice treat with Nick ZL1IU and ZL1RQ from Coopers beach.
An 8 hour drive home made it a very long day.
Details
Summit – ZL1/NL-065 Te Paki
Height – 310 m ASL (170 m ascent)
Access – From State Highway 1 there is a carpark at the track head. Follow the quad bike track north until you get to the fire pond. Turn right and follow this track. Over the locked gate about 200 m further you will see an overgrown track to the left. Follow this a short distance to the trig.
Nominal time to summit – 6 hours drive from Auckland. 1 hour walk up to the trig.
Mobile and internet coverage from the summit – No cell coverage. Access to 710 reepater is possible on a handheld in places.
Summit Marker – Trig.
Land Access Permission – Not required – DoC track.