Pencarrow Lighthouse

Pencarrow Lighthouse, also known as Pencarrow Head Lighthouse, is a decommissioned lighthouse at Pencarrow Head in the Wellington region of the North Island of New Zealand.^[3]

Pencarrow Head Lighthouse

Upper lighthouse (decommissioned)
Location	Pencarrow Head North Island New Zealand
Coordinates	41.358845°S 174.850110°E / -41.358845; 174.850110
Tower
Constructed	1859
Construction	cast iron tower
Height	11.5 metres (38 ft)
Shape	tapered octagonal tower
Markings	white tower and lantern, black lantern roof
Heritage	Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place listing
Light
First lit	1859
Deactivated	1935
Focal height	108 metres (354 ft)[1]
Heritage New Zealand – Category 1
Official name	Pencarrow Lighthouse (former)
Designated	18 March 1982
Reference no.	34
Pencarrow Sector Light
Coordinates	41.359268°S 174.847975°E / -41.359268; 174.847975
Constructed	1906
Construction	concrete tower
Height	17 metres (56 ft)
Shape	octagonal tower with balcony and lantern[2]
Markings	white tower and lantern
Focal height	18 metres (59 ft)
Range	12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi) (white), 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi) (red), 16 nmi (30 km; 18 mi) (white), 13 nmi (24 km; 15 mi) (red)
Characteristic	Fl (3) RW 12s.

Upper lighthouse

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

Pencarrow Lighthouse was designed Edward Roberts in 1852; however, constructed was delayed until 1857.^[4] After its construction the Pencarrow Lighthouse was the first permanent lighthouse built in New Zealand. It was first lit on 1 January 1859.^[5] 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 1 Historic Place.^[3] 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.^[6]

Pencarrow Sector Light

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.^[7][8]

See also

• New Zealand portal
• Engineering portal

• List of lighthouses in New Zealand