It is a peninsula on a peninsula, being part of the massive
Northland Peninsula (also called the North Auckland Peninsula) which makes up nearly one twelfth of New Zealand's land area. Close to the northern town of
Kaitaia, the Northland Peninsula suddenly narrows from a width of 60 kilometres to a mere 10 kilometres, a width which it maintains approximately for the last 100 kilometres of its thrust to the north. At the base of the peninsula to the east is the natural inlet of the Rangaunu Harbour. Beyond this lies the
Karikari Peninsula and the broad sweep of Doubtless Bay. The east coast of the peninsula is dominated by
Rangaunu Bay in the south and
Great Exhibition Bay in the north. Towards its northern tip is the natural inlet of
Parengarenga Harbour, beyond which lies
North Cape.
Spirits Bay and Tom Bowling Bay are located on northernmost of the land. The peninsula's best-known feature is on the other coast: almost the entire west coast is the 88-kilometre long
Ninety Mile Beach. At its northern end, the peninsula widens to 30 kilometres. Here there are several capes that appear to be the northernmost point of New Zealand's main islands:
Cape Maria van Diemen,
North Cape,
Cape Reinga, and the
Surville Cliffs, which is the actual northernmost point by a few hundred metres, at latitude 34° 23' 47" South. Only a handful of islands in the
Three Kings and
Kermadec chains lie further north in New Zealand. Although there are a number of settlements with over 100 people, including Te Hāpua, Te Kao, Pukenui and Kaimaumau, the peninsula is sparsely inhabited, with a population of approximately 3,900. For this reason, the area's roads are largely only
metalled rather than being
sealed. The main road (
State Highway 1) is sealed, the final section completed in April 2010. Ninety Mile Beach is a designated highway, but most rental contracts include it in "prohibited roads". The nearest town to the capes at the tip of the peninsula is Kaitaia, 100 kilometres to the south. It is named after
Te Aupōuri, one of the
Māori tribes that inhabits it. ==Demographics==