Story: Weather forecasting

Between 1874 and 1926 weather forecasting was a Marine Department service – the lighthouses that dotted the length and breadth of New Zealand were well placed to serve as weather stations. In addition to running the lighthouse, keepers’ duties included reporting daily temperature, rain, air pressure and sunshine readings, and making visual observations. The country’s southernmost lighthouse, at Nugget Point, South Otago, was automated in 1989 and is still used as a weather station.