Cape Palliser Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Cape Palliser in the Wellington region of the North Island of New Zealand.[1] It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand.
Location | Cape Palliser North Island New Zealand |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°36′42.9″S 175°17′23.8″E / 41.611917°S 175.289944°E |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1897 |
Construction | cast iron tower |
Automated | 1986 |
Height | 18 metres (59 ft) |
Shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
Markings | white and red horizontal bands tower, white lantern, black lantern dome |
Power source | mains electricity |
Operator | Maritime New Zealand[1][2] |
Light | |
Focal height | 78 metres (256 ft) |
Lens | second order Fresnel lens |
Range | 26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi) |
Characteristic | FL(2) W 20s |
The light was built in 1897 and was originally fueled by oil. In 1954 the oil lamp was replaced with an electric one powered by a local diesel generator. This was subsequently replaced by a connection to the mains grid in 1967, although a diesel generator is retained for emergency power. The light was fully automated in 1986 and is now managed from a control room in Wellington.
The base of the lighthouse is reached via a staircase with 258 steps, up a 58-metre-high cliff. This staircase – built in 1912 – replaced a dangerous dirt track.[1]
Cape Palliser lighthouse is one of three New Zealand lighthouses with a distinct striped paint scheme; the other two are Dog Island Lighthouse and Cape Campbell Lighthouse, which both have black and white stripes.[3][4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Cape Palliser Archived 30 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Maritime New Zealand
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of New Zealand: North Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ "Dog Island Lighthouse". Maritime New Zealand. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- ^ "Cape Campbell Lighthouse". Maritime New Zealand. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
External links
edit- Lighthouses of New Zealand Archived 30 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine Maritime New Zealand
- Cape Palliser Lighthouse in Lighthouse Digest's Lighthouse Explorer Database