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28
APRIL 2019
THERE’S SOMETHING
unquestionably romantic
about a lighthouse stand-
ing as a slender signal on an
isolated headland, offering
a beacon of light spearing
through the night. I’m fortu-
nate to live with a view of two
lighthouses: those at Baring
and Pencarrow heads, which
guard the Wellington Harbour
entrance.
All of New Zealand’s 23
active lighthouses have long
been automated, but for more
than a century, lighthouse
keepers lived at these usually
remote locations. Keepers
didn’t live in the towers but in
nearby houses. Only a handful
of these survive to represent
this period of maritime his-
tory, two of which have been
converted to public huts, and
are available for trampers
to stay in – Cape Brett and
Kahurangi. Other lighthouses
make excellent destinations
for a walk.
Maritime New Zealand
operates and maintains
the lighthouses, and it has
an excellent free poster at
http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz.LIGHTHOUSES
Lighthouses are an important
part of New Zealand’s
maritime history.
Here are five of the best,
by 6KDXQ%DUQHWW1(^432)
Cape Brett, Northland
The rugged cliffs ofCapeBrettarethe
culmination of a longpeninsulathat
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ern boundary of theBayofIslands.The
historic lighthouse,builtin1909,has
been restored in recentyears.Nearby
Cape Brett Hut is oneofthreeformer
lighthouse keepers’hutsandisreached
either as an overnighttramponthe
Cape Brett Track (6-8hreachway)or
as a return day-tripfromDeepWater
Cove (allow 5hr return).Thehut
must be booked throughDOC’s
online booking system.
Castlepoint Scenic Reserve,
Wairarapa
The Castlepoint Lighthouse occupies
one of the most spectacular settings for
any in New Zealand; set atop a wave-
battered limestone reef, with views of
Deliverance Cove and Matira/Castle
Rock beyond. A causeway across the
sand leads to a set of stairs, which are
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1913), beyond which a loop track leads
to a viewpoint and around the reef.
Allow 30 minutes return, or extend
the walk to include the Deliverance
Cove Walkway (1.5hr)
Matiu/Somes Island,
Wellington
The largest of three islands in
Wellington’s harbour, Matiu has a
fascinating history, having served
as a base for iwi, a quarantine
station, an internment camp
during both world wars, a military
defence site and, most recently,
as a predator-free nature sanc-
tuary. A regular ferry service
operates to the island from Days
Bay and Queens Wharf, allowing
an enjoyable and easy half-day
walk around the island, with the
lighthouse (the second on this
site, erected in 1900) located
on the southern shore.
Kahurangi Keepers House,
Kahurangi National Park
TheKahurangi Lighthouse also
occupiesa rugged section of lime-
stone,one located at the western
edgeofKahurangi National Park.
Reaching the lighthouse (built
in1903), and the nearby hut, in-
volvesa few logistical challenges,
notleastthe very long drive in,
andtheright tide and river levels
forfording Big River en route.
Allow4hr each way from the
endofCowin Road, south of
Westhaven Inlet.
Waipapa Point, Southland
Ona benign day, the Waipapa
Point Lighthouse is a tranquil spot,
where the waters of Foveaux
Strait lap the rocky shoreline,
and gulls wheel about. However,
a nearby line of macrocarpa trees,
battered into a stunted hedge,
give blunt testimony to the more
usual weather. These sorry trees
were the sole line of defence from
storms for the keeper’s house.
The area’s story is explained well
at a shelter near the car park, from
where it is a 20-minute return
walk to the lighthouse. Authori-
ties erected the beacon in 1883,
two years after the Tararua was
wrecked on a nearby reef claiming
131 lives.
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Castlepoint lighthouse,
Wairarapa; a 30min return trip
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