Story: Lighthouses

Cuvier Island

Cuvier Island

Cuvier Island lighthouse, pictured here in heavy mist, marks the southern approach to Auckland Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf. One of the country’s most distant offshore lighthouses, it was disliked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries because communication was so erratic. When New Zealand’s first locally cast iron tower went up on Cuvier Island in 1889, materials had to be hauled 100 metres up a steep hill directly from boats. The landing place was often unworkable.

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Department of Conservation
Reference: 10052196
Photograph by Terry C. Greene

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How to cite this page:

Helen Beaglehole, 'Lighthouses - Building', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/6664/cuvier-island (accessed 30 April 2024)

Story by Helen Beaglehole, published 12 Jun 2006