Katiki Point Lighthouse

Last updated

Katiki Point Lighthouse
Moeraki
Katiki Lighthouse Front.jpg
Katiki Point Lighthouse
LocationKatiki Point
South Island
New Zealand
Coordinates 45°23′30.7″S170°51′58.2″E / 45.391861°S 170.866167°E / -45.391861; 170.866167 Coordinates: 45°23′30.7″S170°51′58.2″E / 45.391861°S 170.866167°E / -45.391861; 170.866167
Tower
Constructed1878
Constructionwooden tower
Automated1975
Height8 metres (26 ft)
Shapehexagonal tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower, red trim, black lantern
Power sourcemains electricity  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
OperatorMaritime New Zealand
Light
First lit1878
Focal height58 metres (190 ft).
Lens light-emitting diode
Range10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi)
Characteristic Fl W 12s.

The Katiki Point Lighthouse, also known as Moeraki Lighthouse, shone for the first time in 1878, following several accidents on the dangerous reefs around the area, to make the area safer for ships that sailed past on their way to Port Chalmers, Dunedin. [1] [2] [3] The lighthouse was built between the settlements of Moeraki and Katiki, on the tip of the Moeraki Peninsula, which is known as Katiki Point or Moeraki Point. [4]

Contents

History

The point has a long history of wrecks, notably the wrecking of the ancestral waka atua on a return trip from Hawaiki, leaving some of the cargo being on the beach at Katiki, below the lighthouse. [5] [6] Tradition holds that the remains of the cargo are the Moeraki Boulders. Just before the light was to be lit for the first time, a storm shook the tower to the extent that the lamp glass broke. A new one had to be ordered, and the tower was strengthened, before the light was lit on 22 April 1878. [7]

Katiki Point Lighthouse from Northern side Katiki Lighthouse Side.jpg
Katiki Point Lighthouse from Northern side

The wooden tower stands 26 feet (8 m) high and 190 feet (58 m) above sea level. The light flashes on for 6 seconds and off for 6 seconds, and can be seen for 10 nautical miles (20 km). The light-emitting diode beacon is supplied by mains electricity, with a battery for standby power. The original lens operated with a 1000-watt lamp supplied by mains electricity, with a diesel generator for standby power. It can still be seen in the lantern room at the top of the tower.

The light was fully automated in 1975 and the lighthouse keeper was withdrawn. The operation of the light is now fully automatic and is monitored by a computer and Maritime New Zealand staff in Wellington. The lighthouse was restored by Maritime New Zealand in 2006. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

Farewell Spit

Farewell Spit is a narrow sand spit at the northern end of the Golden Bay, South Island of New Zealand. Known to the Māori as Tuhuroa, it runs eastwards from Cape Farewell, the island's northernmost point. It is located about 50 kilometres north of Takaka and 20 kilometres from Collingwood. The tiny settlement of Pūponga stands close to the western (landward) end of the spit.

Moeraki Boulders Large spherical boulders on Otago coast, New Zealand

The Moeraki Boulders are unusually large spherical boulders lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach on the wave-cut Otago coast of New Zealand between Moeraki and Hampden. They occur scattered either as isolated or clusters of boulders within a stretch of beach where they have been protected in a scientific reserve. These boulders are grey-colored septarian concretions, which have been exhumed from the mudstone and bedrock enclosing them and concentrated on the beach by coastal erosion. Especially in recent years, the boulders have been a popular tourist attraction.

Lizard Lighthouse Lighthouse on the south coast of Cornwall, England

The Lizard Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Lizard Point, Cornwall, England, built to guide vessels passing through the English Channel. It was often the welcoming beacon to persons returning to England, where on a clear night, the reflected light could be seen 100 mi (160 km) away.

Moeraki Village in Otago, New Zealand

Moeraki is a small fishing village on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It was once the location of a whaling station. In the 1870s, local interests believed it could become the main port for the north Otago area and a railway line, the Moeraki Branch, was built to the settlement and opened in 1877. However, the port could not compete with Oamaru and the lack of traffic as well as stability problems caused by difficult terrain led to the closure of the railway in 1879 after only two years of operation.

St. Augustine Light Lighthouse in Florida, US

The St. Augustine Light Station is a private-aid to navigation and an active, working lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida. The current lighthouse stands at the north end of Anastasia Island and was built between 1871 and 1874. The tower is the second lighthouse tower in St. Augustine, the first being lit officially by the American territorial government in May 1824 as Florida's first lighthouse. However, both the Spanish and the British governments operated a major aid to navigation here including a series of wooden watch towers and beacons dating from 1565.

SS <i>Alkimos</i> (1943) World War II Liberty ship of the United States

Alkimos was a Greek-owned merchant ship which was wrecked on the coast north of Perth, Western Australia in 1963. A nearby locality was later named after the vessel. The wreck is a popular diving venue.

Nugget Point Steep landform in Otago, New Zealand

Nugget Point is one of the most iconic landforms on the Otago coast. Located at the northern end of the Catlins coast, along the road from Kaka Point, this steep headland has a lighthouse at its tip, surrounded by rocky islets. The point is home to many seabirds, including penguins, gannets and royal spoonbills, and a large breeding colony of fur seals. Roaring Bay, on the south coast of the tip of Nugget Point, is home to a small colony of yellow-eyed penguins.

Katiki is a small settlement in North Otago, New Zealand. It lies between the townships of Palmerston and Hampden on State Highway 1 at the northern end of Katiki Beach, close to the Moeraki Peninsula. The tip of the peninsula, Katiki Point, is the site of Katiki Point Lighthouse. The scenic reserve of Trotter's Gorge is located just inland of Katiki.

Nugget Point Lighthouse Lighthouse in New Zealand

Nugget Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Nugget Point in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand.

Bull Point Lighthouse Lighthouse on the coast of Devon, England

Bull Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Bull Point, about one mile (1.6 km) north of the village of Mortehoe, on the northern coast of Devon, England. The lighthouse provides a visual aid to the villages of Mortehoe, Woolacombe and Ilfracombe, and warns of the inhospitable and rocky coast that lines the area.

Hartland Point Lighthouse Lighthouse

Hartland Point Lighthouse is a Grade II listed building at Hartland Point, Devon, England. The point marks the western limit of the Bristol Channel with the Atlantic Ocean continuing to the west. Trinity House, the lighthouse authority for England and Wales, have a lighthouse on the tip of the peninsula.

Richmond River Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Richmond River Light, also known as Ballina Head Light and Ballina Light, is an active lighthouse located at Ballina Head, a headland in Ballina, New South Wales, Australia. The headland is at the northern side of the entrance to the Richmond River. It used to serve to guide ships into the river port and is used also serves as a leading light into the river, together with a steamer's masthead lantern with a 200 mm lens which is raised on a wooden structure 30 metres (98 ft) from it.

Fingal Head Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Fingal Head Light is an active lighthouse located at Fingal Head, New South Wales, Australia, a headland about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Point Danger, which marks the Queensland border.

Kiama Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Kiama Light, also known as Kiama Harbour Light, is an active lighthouse in Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. The lighthouse is located close to the Kiama Blowhole on Blowhole Point, south of Kiama Harbour.

Point Stephens Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

The Point Stephens Light is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on Point Stephens, a point on an unnamed headland at the east of Fingal Bay, 4.25 km (2.64 mi) south of the entrance of Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia. The light serves to assist vessels entering Port Stephens. It is considered an endangered lighthouse due to remote location and old age.

The New Burnett Heads Light, also known as South Head Light, is an active lighthouse standing on the south side of the Burnett River entrance, in Burnett Heads, Queensland, Australia. In 1971 it replaced the Old Burnett Heads Light, which was relocated inland.

Point Danger Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Point Danger Light, also known as the Captain Cook Memorial Light, is an active lighthouse located on Point Danger, a headland between Coolangatta and Tweed Heads, marking the border between Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. It lays claim to be the first lighthouse in the world to experiment with laser as a light source.

Bamburgh Lighthouse Lighthouse

Bamburgh Lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1910 to guide shipping both passing along the Northumberland coast and in the waters around the Farne Islands. It was extensively modernised in 1975 and is now monitored from the Trinity House Operations and Planning Centre in Harwich. Routine maintenance is carried out by a local attendant. It is the most northerly land-based lighthouse in England.

St Catherines Lighthouse Lighthouse on the southernmost point of the Isle of Wight, England

St Catherine's Lighthouse is a lighthouse located at St Catherine's Point at the southern tip of the Isle of Wight. It is one of the oldest lighthouse locations in Great Britain.

Dog Island Lighthouse Lighthouse at Foveaux Strait, New Zealand

The Dog Island Lighthouse on Dog Island in Foveaux Strait is New Zealand's tallest lighthouse, and one of its oldest. It is notable for its masonry construction, and is a work example by an engineer who was prominent at the time. The lighthouse employed the first revolving beam in New Zealand, and the unique original light apparatus was in use for 60 years. Dog Island Lighthouse is one of the most distinct lighthouses in New Zealand, with only two others having stripes painted on them for better visibility at daytime. The lighthouse is registered by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I structure, and the adjacent lighthouse keepers cottage has a Category II registration. Originally operated by three lighthouse keepers, the structure has since 1989 been remote controlled from Maritime New Zealand's Wellington office, with Dog Island since having been uninhabited. Dog Island Lighthouse has twice featured on New Zealand stamps.

References

  1. "Maritime New Zealand". Archived from the original on 18 July 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
  2. "New Zealand Lighthouses – Moeraki (Katiki Point)". Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
  3. "Maritime New Zealand – Lighthouse locations" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
  4. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of New Zealand: South Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  5. "Department of Conservation – Field trip guide" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
  6. "Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 – Statutory acknowledgement for Te Tai o Arai Te Uru (Otago Coastal Marine Area)". Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
  7. "Katiki Point Lighthouse". Maritime New Zealand. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  8. "Maritime New Zealand – Restoration". Archived from the original on 23 September 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2007.