Bean Rock Lighthouse

Bean Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse situated at the end of a reef in the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the only remaining example in New Zealand of a wooden cottage-style lighthouse, and it is one of only a few remaining worldwide.[1] It is also the oldest wooden lighthouse and only wave-washed tower in New Zealand.[2] It is owned, operated and maintained by Ports of Auckland.[2]

Bean Rock Lighthouse
Bean Rock in 2010
LocationWaitemata Harbour
Auckland
New Zealand
Coordinates36.833284°S 174.831127°E / -36.833284; 174.831127
Tower
Constructed1871 Edit this on Wikidata
Constructiontimber legs, hexagonal wooden cottage[1]
Automated1912
Height15 m (49 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Markingswhite
Power sourcesolar power Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorPorts of Auckland
HeritageHeritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place listing Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit24 July 1871
Focal height15 m (49 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Range14 nmi (26 km; 16 mi) (white), 11 nmi (20 km; 13 mi) (red) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl WR 8s, Fl(3) WR 8s Edit this on Wikidata
Designated21 September 1989
Reference no.3295

History

The rocks were named Te Toka-o-Kapetaua by Māori, after Te Patukirikiri ancestor Kapetaua was abandoned on the rocks by his brother-in-law Tarakumukumu.[3] The European name, Bean Rock, was chosen in 1840, and named after Royal Navy Lieutenant P.C.D. Bean of HMS Herald, the master of the ship that carried out the first harbour survey of the Waitematā after the founding of the township of Auckland.[4]

Bean Rock lighthouse was built c. 1870 at a cost of 3,000 pounds and was first lit on 24 July 1871, using a kerosene lamp of 350 candlepower.[2] The location had been recommended by James Balfour and he did the early conceptual design work but was drowned in an accident before the design was completed. His design work was finished by James Stewart.[2]

Bean Rock was inhabited by lighthouse keepers and their families until 1912, when it was automated and the keepers were withdrawn.[2][5] The lighthouse keeper from 1909 to 1911, James Anderson, kept in contact with his family by sending Morse code messages by torch-light to his son who lived in Devonport.[4] In 1936, cable was laid from the Ōrākei wharf to the lighthouse and the light was run by electricity.[5] At the time, the beacon had a distinctive signalling sequence and a coloured light display to indicate the correct course to shipping in the channel.[6]

By the 1980s, the lighthouse was in poor condition due to corroded iron fittings and rotting kauri beams. Because of this, the Auckland Harbour Board decided that the lighthouse should be replaced with a religious sculpture or other significant piece of artwork.[5] The board later decided to keep the lighthouse due to the historical significance, and began to restore the structure.[5] In 1985, the lighthouse was restored, with new timber legs being sunk into new concrete foundations.[2] In the mid-1990s, the lighthouse was converted to solar power and synchronised with an automatic foghorn.[2]

Bean Rock lighthouse has a Category 1 registration (number 3295) under the Historic Places Act.[7] As it is a working lighthouse, it is not open to the public.[2]

  • Model of the Bean Rock Lighthouse in Wynyard Quarter
    Model of the Bean Rock Lighthouse in Wynyard Quarter
  • Aerial view of the lighthouse
    Aerial view of the lighthouse
  • Bean Rock lighthouse with Mission Bay in the background
    Bean Rock lighthouse with Mission Bay in the background
  • Lighthouse keeper James Anderson in 1910
    Lighthouse keeper James Anderson in 1910
  • The former Ponui Passage Lighthouse, near Ponui Island, had the same design as Bean Rock lighthouse and was also completed in 1871
    The former Ponui Passage Lighthouse, near Ponui Island, had the same design as Bean Rock lighthouse and was also completed in 1871[8]

See also

References
  1. "Bean Rock lighthouse still shining". Stuff. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  2. "Ask Phoebe: Throwing some light on Bean Rock beacon". The New Zealand Herald. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  3. Royal, Te Ahukaramū Charles (3 March 2017). "Hauraki tribes - The first tribes". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  4. "Bean Rock Lighthouse". Auckland Museum. 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. Jones, Les (2011). "Development of Auckland Ports". In La Roche, John (ed.). Evolving Auckland: The City's Engineering Heritage. Wily Publications. pp. 87–104. ISBN 9781927167038.
  6. "Bean Rock". The Auckland Star – archived at paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 28 April 1936. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  7. "Bean Rock Lighthouse". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  8. "Ponui Passage Lighthouse". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 30 September 2023.

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