Cape Palliser
Lighthouse overview
Cape Palliser Lighthouse is on the south-eastern side of the Wairarapa coast, a couple of hours drive from Wellington.
|
Lighthouse feature: |
Details |
|
Location: |
latitude 41°37’ south, longitude 175°17’ east |
|
Elevation: |
78 metres above sea level |
|
Construction: |
cast iron tower |
|
Tower height: |
18 metres |
|
Light configuration: |
2nd order Fresnel lens, illuminated by a 1000-watt incandescent bulb |
|
Light flash character: |
white light flashing 2 times every 20 seconds |
|
Power source: |
mains electricity |
|
Range: |
26 nautical miles (48 kilometres) |
|
Date light first lit: |
1897 |
|
Automated: |
1986 |
|
Demanned: |
1986 |
History of Cape Palliser Lighthouse
Cape Palliser features prominently in Māori history and in the legends of Kupe. The area also played a part in the colonisation of New Zealand.
The rugged coast and notorious Cook Strait gales caused many early shipwrecks. Six months before the light was lit in 1897, a ship was wrecked within four miles of the new tower and 12 of the 21 crew drowned. While a light on Cape Palliser reduced the number of shipwrecks, the area remained hazardous.
The tower at Cape Palliser has red and white stripes to stand out from the hills behind it. Only two other lighthouses in New Zealand have stripes. Dog Island Lighthouse and Cape Campbell Lighthouse have black and white stripes.
Operation of the light
Cape Palliser Lighthouse still uses the original Fresnel lens installed in 1897.
In 1954, the light was converted from oil to diesel-generated electricity. In 1967, it was connected to mains electricity. A diesel-electric generator provides standby emergency power.
The lighthouse was automated in 1986, and the keepers left the station.
Life at Cape Palliser Lighthouse
Because of its isolation in the early days, life at Cape Palliser created unique problems for keepers and their families.
The original access to the lighthouse was a dirt track up a 58-metre-high cliff. This was a dangerous walk for keepers, especially in stormy weather.
In 1912, 258 steps were built up to the tower. This gave keepers much safer access, although it was still a demanding climb.
Stores were delivered to the station every three months. If seas were too rough, stores were landed at the more sheltered Kawakawa Bay, about six kilometres away. The Cape Palliser historical letter book recorded many tales of stores being lost during unloading.
Because the storage buildings and keepers’ homes were at sea level, unloading was easier than at many other stations. The keepers still had to haul light supplies, such as oil and kerosene, up the cliff face to the lighthouse. They used a railway and hand winch to do this.
When the lighthouse was eventually connected to the nearby settlements by road, keepers would collect their mail and supplies once a week from Pirinoa.