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Castle Point, New Zealand

If you love lighthouses, New Zealand is the place to be. Honestly, I think I’ve walked and hiked to more lighthouses in the Wellington area in the past 7 months then I did my entire life in the states.

That being said, when it comes to my favorite lighthouse here, that would easily be the one at Castlepoint.
Castle Point’s main, but not only attraction
The small town of Castlepoint is about a 2 and a half hour drive outside Wellington in the Wairarapa Region. It’s pretty rural and home to just over 1,600 people. But what it lacks in residents it makes up for in pure beauty.
The obvious attraction at the Castlepoint scenic reserve is the lighthouse, but that’s not all there is to see. Because this is New Zealand, there is also a trail for you to climb, in addition to a number of sandy beaches.
Upon arrival, you’re going to want to climb to the lighthouse first thing, but I would advise you save that for last. That’s because the walk to the lighthouse is quite easy and quick, so you won’t need a lot of energy to get it done. However, you’ll need a bit more to finish and enjoy the Deliverance Cove track, so I suggest you do that first. (And trust me, I don’t suggest hikes unless they are worth it!)
The trek is only about 45 minutes long and is mostly flat. It starts at the parking lot and takes you around the area’s picturesque lagoon. The actual trek ends on the beach, but if you are daring, fit and confident, there is a hidden (and harder) trek that offers beautiful views from above.
The view from Castle Rock of Deliverance Cove
A look back at the path to the top
I am generally a rule-follower, and had I been to Castlepoint alone I probably would’ve ended up on the beach. (Also, because I dream to spend every day of my life on the sand.) However, on the day I explored Castlepoint, I went with my friend Rose, who is definitely more on the adventurous side. (Also she doesn’t like sand.) Rose saw a few people climbing up to the top of Castle Rock instead of down, so we followed.
To be clear: while there were a lot of other people headed up the rock with us, this climb is not an official track. There is no path that is cared for or maintained by anyone, and it is steep. At times, it feels like you are going up the rock at a 90-degree angle. And if that wasn’t tricky enough, there are no trees or shelter to shield you from the area’s wind, so you really have to find secure places to land your feet, and occasionally take a seat to make sure you are grounded.
But like any great hike here in New Zealand, the views from the top are spectacular. You can see so much from the top of Castle Rock: from the beach at Deliverance Cove, to the tiny town of Castlepoint, to the lighthouse, to the stunning blues and turquoise of the Pacific Ocean, it is breathtaking. So far, I think it has to be my favorite vantage point I have climbed to in New Zealand.
Deliverance Cove

But what goes up, must come down. The hike to Deliverance Cove is one way, meaning you have to return on the same path. This isn’t an issue on the official track, as it is big enough for pedestrians in both directions, however, that is not the case for the unofficial climb up and down the rock. This means you have to find creative ways around people going in the other direction, while also fighting gravity and wind. It wasn’t incredibly difficult, but it is a hazard to be aware of. Luckily for me, it was something that was encountered on the way down.

After returning to the parking lot, its a quick walk over the beach to the lighthouse trek. The walk itself starts actually starts along a rock in the water, which means the installed concrete path is sometimes wet from the tide. From there, its a bunch of simple wooden boardwalks over the water and apparently a reef, to the lighthouse.
This area is apparently known for marine mammals and birds, although I have to say we didn’t see anything other than seagulls on our visit. Still, the scenery and jagged, rocky coast are stunning. It reminded me a little of forts on the sea, like Castillo de San Marcos in St Augustine, Florida. It’s a feeling Captain James Cook also shared, having named the place “Castlepoint” because it reminded him of the battlements of a castle.
The castle-like rocks that hold the lighthouse
I could’ve spent the day there, but it was quite windy and neither of us had brought our bathing suits or fishing rods, so we headed home shortly after the trip to the lighthouse. On the way back we stopped at Tinui Bar and Cafe. Now, for any tourists visiting the area this is a must because this place sells the best, and least-expensive Manuka Honey of anywhere I’ve been in this country. For about $14 NZD ($9.50 USD,) you can get a jar of this stuff, that is not only tasty but is also known worldwide for its medicinal properties. This is why Manuka Honey usually runs upwards $30 to $50 NZD a jar, and why this is such an amazing find.
In all, if you ever find yourself in the Wellington Region on a summer’s day, make sure you make the drive to Castlepoint. It is the best day trip any beach or lighthouse lover can take. And hey, there’s a hike too.
The lighthouse, with Deliverance Cove and Castle Point in the background
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Away in Wairapapa

Someone told me not to bother coming to New Zealand if I didn’t like hiking. Well, I never liked hiking before but I came here anyway, and now I am planning weekend getaways that include walking some long trails. I am really thankful.

I have to be honest, this likely wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t met people who were keen to go on hikes and walks themselves and invite me on them. I imagine I would’ve done all the touristy things around Wellington that involved little exertion and then fill up the rest of my week with drinks, the gym, and Netflix. Now, I have to admit already happened to some extent, especially while my more active and hiking friends were out of the area. But guess what? They’re back! And that means, I’ve gone on a few new adventures already, I just haven’t written about them up until this point. To start, I want to focus on our trip to Wairarapa, Greytown and Cape Palliser.

The view from the Cape Palliser Lighthouse

To give you a bit of an idea where this adventure took place, it was a 2-hour drive from Wellington to the cape, which is the Southern-most point of New Zealand’s North Island. That drive through the Rimutaka hills is long and winding, but it is also absolutely breathtaking. (For all of my Pennsylvania friends, it’s a similar look and feel as the Pine Creek Gorge area, which is better known as the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. If you haven’t been I would recommend it.) There are hikes through this area as well, but we just stopped at the lookout and kept driving. This is because it was a windy and chilly day, but also because the drive was quite long and we had a lot we wanted to do.

The view from the entrance to the Rimutaka Crossing, a trek made by 60,000 New Zealand Soldiers during WWI.

On our way to the lighthouse in Cape Palliser, we stopped in one of the hidden gems in the area: a small village called Greytown. The picturesque town is actually the oldest in the region and is full of architecture and cute, funky shops. My friend Anca says it reminds her of the town Stars Hollow from “Gilmore Girls,” and I would have to say this is accurate. (And now you know exactly how the village feels, don’t you?)

In Greytown, we stopped at an adorable coffee shop called “Cahoots.” It has your standard coffee-shop fare which was tasty but what I really liked about it was the atmosphere. It’s a little nerdy and a lot of fun; for instance the table numbers they give out so you know where the food goes all feature pop culture figures. (We were “G” for Gandolf, and someone next to us was “E” for Elvis.)

The ladies at Cahoots. That was my first of several coffees for the day. (Also, do you see Gandolf!?)

The rest of the village was a bit artistic and fun as well. There was a bicycle shop where you could buy a tandem bike if you wanted, a community theatre and a lot of locals who didn’t seem used to “so many” tourists.

The black sand beaches in Wairarapa were surreal

Our beautiful drive through the mountains continued, before taking us out to the coast. Here, there were black sand beaches to explore and a rocky area that held some of my favorite New Zealand residents: fur seals and seal pups. There were so many in this area you had to be careful where you stepped because some of them were so still you didn’t realize they were there right away.

These are just a few of the seals that were hanging out in Cape Palliser. They didn’t seem to keen to have us around
This is one of the guys I almost stepped on, because he was so chill

After the seals, we continued on our way to the Cape Palliser lighthouse. The lighthouse has sat atop the cliff here since 1897 and is still in use today. Me, being a fan of lighthouses, almost didn’t mind the 253 stair climb to the top of the cliff to see it up close! (However, I would’ve loved to climb more steps to get to the top of the lighthouse itself, but alas, this was not an option.)

All of the steps to the lighthouse
The view is always worth the climb

Now, with all that adventure in one day, you’d think we would be done, but no, not us! Afterwards, we had one more stop yet to take, and this one was the tastiest. Close to Cape Palliser Lighthouse, there is a tiny fishing town known for its crayfish called Ngawi. It is so small, only about 20 people live in the area year-round. As it was the off-season, the only business we passed that was open was the “Captain Table Food Truck,” which sits along the coast. I bet you can guess where we stopped and how tasty the fresh-caught fish and chips were.

Don’t look at me, look at the food and that view!

Also in the town, we stopped to check out some adorable lambs. They were adorable, albeit a little dirty to pet. Still, totally worth it.

Lamb butts are cute too, aren’t they?

It was a really good day, and aside from the food and coffee, it was 100% free.