Kātiki Point Lighthouse

The Kātiki 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 Kātiki, on the tip of the Moeraki Peninsula, which is known as Kātiki Point or Moeraki Point.[4]

Kātiki Point Lighthouse
Moeraki
LocationKātiki Point,
South Island
New Zealand
Coordinates45°23′30.7″S 170°51′58.2″E
Tower
Constructed1878
Constructionwooden tower
Automated1975
Height8 metres (26 ft)
Shapehexagonal tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower, red trim, black lantern
Power sourcemains electricity Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorMaritime New Zealand
Light
First lit1878
Focal height58 metres (190 ft).
Lenslight-emitting diode
Range10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 12s.

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 Kātiki, 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]

Kātiki 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The light was fully automated in 1975 and the lighthouse keeper was withdrawn.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

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. "Ngāi 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.
  • McLean, G. (1986) Moeraki Dunedin, NZ: Otago Heritage Books. ISBN 0-9597723-3-2.
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