travelandleisureindia.inKahika, a pohutukawa
tree at Cape Reinga,
is considered the
gateway for Maori
spirits leaving
New Zealand.
THE DETAILS
GETTING THERE
Multiple airlines serve connecting
flights to New Zealand. The welcome
mat rolls out at international
gateways in Auckland, Wellington,
Christchurch, and Queenstown.
Three hours from Auckland and two
hours from Paihia, Waipoua Forest
(newzealand.com/in/waipoua-forest)
is best accessed by road. Stop at
Omapere to pick up your Footprints
Waipoua walking tour with a local
guide. Waitangi Treaty Grounds
(waitangi.org.nz) is about three
hours from Auckland and just two
kilometres from Paihia. There are
many day tours you can avail from
Paihia to go to Cape Reinga.
STAY
Waipoua Lodge: Nestled on a
ridge overlooking the vast Waipoua
Forest, Waipoua Lodge offers
luxury accommodation in an original
homestead surrounded by native
forest and pasture. From `24,328 per
night; waipoualodge.co.nz
Bed of Roses: The stay is at walking
distance from the historic landing area
of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, and
is centrally situated to Northland’s
beaches, forests, and walking tracks.
From `12,743 per night; bedofroses.co.nzwto Cape Reinga near the beginning of
WWII. Standing 10 metres tall, this was
the last watched lighthouse to be builtin
New Zealand. It is no longer watched
though—the last lighthouse keeper
having been withdrawn in 1987. The now
electric lighthouse is managed remotely
by computers, and continues to bethe
first light to signal the shores of
New Zealand to incoming sailors.What can be more iconic than the lighthouse? A tree,
of course. More specifically, a singular pohutukawa tree
that juts out of a rocky headland on the confluence of the
Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea.
The hike down is beautiful and gives an expansive
view of the coast. It takes me a moment to spot this
tree, which survives awkwardly and against all odds
on a cliff-face lashed by salt-laced winds. Compared
to the gigantic Tāne Mahuta, this tree called Kahika
looks like a shrub from afar.
Legend has it that nine days after a Maori dies,
the spirit travels north. The Kahika is the passing point
as it leaves New Zealand towards Haiwaiki in
Polynesia. Bent by the constantly slapping breeze, its
roots form the channels for the spirits to reach the
seas, which they navigate to reach their homeland.
As I take in the view of this sacred site, the snaking
bio-security line at the airport after immigration
makes sense. If only, all the Indians who watched in
shock as their thepla and pickles were dumped in the
bin, could see this tree. They would understand, too.
The country has its rooms firmly set in Maori culture
and the Maori belief system is anchored in nature.
Saving these sacred trees and forests then is more than
just an environmental cause in New Zealand, it’s about
upholding the ancestral legacy of its people.