Pencarrow Head Lighthouse

Pencarrow Head Lighthouse is a decommissioned lighthouse at Pencarrow Head in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand.[2]

Pencarrow Head Lighthouse
Upper lighthouse (decommissioned)
LocationPencarrow Head
North Island
New Zealand
Coordinates41.358845°S 174.850110°E / -41.358845; 174.850110
Year first constructed1859
Year first lit1859
Deactivated1935
Constructioncast iron tower
Tower shapetapered octagonal tower
Markings / patternwhite tower and lantern, black lantern roof
Tower height11.5 metres (38 ft)
Focal height108 metres (354 ft)[1]
HeritageNZHPT Category I listing 
Official namePencarrow Lighthouse (Former)
Designated1959
Reference no.0034

Upper lighthouse
Upper light (decommissioned in 1935) and lower light (still in use)

Constructed in 1859, the Pencarrow Head Lighthouse was the first permanent lighthouse built in New Zealand. It was constructed from sections of cast iron that were shipped from England. Its first keeper, Mary Bennett, was the first and only female lighthouse keeper in New Zealand. The light was decommissioned in 1935 when it was replaced by the Baring Head Lighthouse.

The lighthouse is registered as a Category I Historic Place.[2] It was the first structure in the Wellington area that was covered by a heritage order shortly after the New Zealand Historic Places Trust was established subsequent to the Historic Places Act 1954 having been passed. The Minister of Marine, Bill Fox, added a plaque at the lighthouse's centenary in 1959 to mark the occasion. The Marine Department transferred the land, which it had acquired from Wellington Province in 1865, to the Department of Lands and Survey in 1960. In 1966, the lighthouse itself was given to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, which has managed the building since.[3]

Pencarrow Sector Light
Pencarrow Sector Light
LocationLower Hutt City, New Zealand
Coordinates41.359268°S 174.847975°E / -41.359268; 174.847975
Year first constructed1906
Deactivated1935 
Constructionconcrete tower
Tower shapeoctagonal tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / patternwhite tower and lantern
Tower height17 metres (56 ft)
Focal height18 metres (59 ft)
CharacteristicFl (3) RW 12s.
Admiralty numberK4006
NGA number4588
ARLHS numberNZL-039[4]
HeritageNZHPT Category I listing 

A new low-level lighthouse was commissioned in 1906 due to the problem of the high-level lighthouse being frequently obscured by fog and cloud. This lighthouse is still in use.

Access

The area has no road access; a reasonably flat walking or mountain biking track follows the coast line. The climb to the upper lighthouse is steep. A return journey takes about four hours on foot or one and a half hours by mountain bike.[5][6]

See also

References
  1. "Pencarrow". New Zealand Lighthouses. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  2. "Pencarrow Lighthouse (Former)". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  3. "The lighthouse and its surroundings". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 7 October 2014. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  4. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of New Zealand: North Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  5. "Pencarrow Heads Light House Walk". FreeWalks NZ. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  6. "Pencarrow Lighthouse". Heritage New Zealand. Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
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