Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse

Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse

Tiritiri Matangi lighthouse in 2010
New Zealand
Location Tiritiri Matangi
North Island
New Zealand
Coordinates 36°36′20.4″S 174°53′50.8″E / 36.605667°S 174.897444°E / -36.605667; 174.897444Coordinates: 36°36′20.4″S 174°53′50.8″E / 36.605667°S 174.897444°E / -36.605667; 174.897444
Year first constructed 1864
Year first lit 1865
Automated 1925 (1st), 1984 (2nd)[1]
Construction cast iron tower[1]
Tower shape cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern white tower, black lantern roof
Height 20 metres (66 ft)[1]
Focal height 91 metres (299 ft)[1]
Light source solar power
Range 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi)[1]
Characteristic FL W 15s
Admiralty number K3740
NGA number 4028
ARLHS number NZL-054
Managing agent Department of Conservation[2]

Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Tiritiri Matangi, an island in the Hauraki Gulf 28 km north of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand. It is considered the best-preserved lighthouse complex in the country,[3] and is the oldest lighthouse in New Zealand still in operation.[1] It was once the most powerful lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere.[4]

History

Constructed in 1864[3] from cast iron, the light was first lit on 1 January 1865. The light was first automated in 1925 and used an acetylene burning revolving light. Keepers returned to the light in 1947 and it remained manned until 1984 when the light was fully automated. The light's last keeper, Ray Walter, remained on the island working with his wife Barbara as Department of Conservation rangers until their retirement in 2006.[1][5]

The lighthouse along with the nearby visitor centre is a popular destination, although the light itself is not open to the public.[1] The building has a Category I listing with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Tiritiri Matangi lighthouse". Maritime New Zealand. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  2. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of New Zealand: North Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Auckland Places - Tiritiri Matangi Island". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Government of New Zealand. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  4. ↑ "The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, Part 2". Inset to The New Zealand Herald. 3 March 2010. p. 8.
  5. ↑ "Dawn Chorus Bulletin 66" (PDF). (0.99 MiB), August 2006. Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi, Inc. ISSN 1171-8595.
  6. ↑ "Tiritiri Lighthouse". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
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