Cape Foulwind (1876)
Light at dusk showing auxiliary light
Cape Foulwind lighthouse (old wooden light now demolished)
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mätauraga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
Steps to old wooden tower (Now demolished)
Cape Foulwind was selected as a lighthouse site by John Blackett, Marine Engineer and Captain Robert Johnson, Nautical Advisor during the lighthouse survey of 1874 aboard the Luna. Unable to land from seaward they landed inland up the Buller River and cut a track out to the cape from the Westport/Charleston Road to survey the land. The lighting apparatus was then ordered from England.
The first tower was constructed from locally cut Rimu timber and the bricks that were imported from Melbourne, Australia. The light was first lit on September 1, 1876. It had a white revolving light fuelled by kerosene, with eight bulls eye lenses.
In 1924 the wooden tower was found to be suffering from rot and was replaced with the current concrete tower. A new lens was ordered from Birmingham, England and an automatic light from the UK Aga Company. The old lamp was sent to Godley Head. The new automated light ran on acetone gas which only needed refueling every seven months. The new light was lit in 1926 and the keepers were withdrawn
The foundations for the original tower are still visible, along with other remains of the keepers houses.
An auxiliary light is currently used.
There has not been many wrecks at the cape. In 1846, the most famous wreck was sighted by two early explorers, Heavy & Brunner. It is concluded the wreck was the Rifleman, which in 1825 sailed from Hobart, Australia for England loaded with wool but was never heard of again.
In 1970 a farmer digging drains near the cape, dug up what appeared to be a ship well above the present high water mark. Timbers from the ship have been identified as European larch or spruce.
If anyone has any information on this light please contact me. kiwimark@comcast.net
DIRECTIONS:
The lighthouse is 11km from Westport on Hwy 67a which branches off Hwy 67 just south of town. Take the right hand road at the Star Hotel and 1 km further on is a car park. The light is 10 minutes walk. In the grass round the light you may see the New Zealand native bird the Weka.
The walking track goes on further to a seal colony at Tauranga Bay.
| Island | South |
| Province | Westland |
| Location | Westport (Cape Foulwind) |
| Number | K4486 |
| Date Commissioned | 1 September, 1876 |
| Date Decommissioned | |
| Automated | 1926 |
| Latitude | 41° 45' South |
| Longitude | 171° 28' East |
| Elevation Above Sea Level | 70m |
| Height | 9m |
| Character | Flashes white every 12 seconds |
| Range | 9 N. miles |
| Made | |
| Construction | First tower wooden, replacement, white concrete tower |
| Converted Kerosene To Diesel | |
| Converted Diesel To Mains Electricity | |
| Wattage | |
| Present Tower | Not original |
| Authority | Maritime Safety Authority |
| Date Visited | 26 February, 2000 |
| Head Keeper | From | To |
| George Smyth Hand | 1876 | 1876 Died November 1876 |
| George Edward Hand | November, 1876 | February, 1877. Died at Nelson 29 June, 1877 |
| Fitzroy Montague Smith | 1877 | 1882 |
| William Cunningham | 1882 | 1891 |
| Anders Hansen | 1891 | 1897 |
| Richard Tregurtha | 1897 | 1902 |
| Arthur Fletcher | 1902 | 1904 |
| Robert Henry Leighton | 1904 | 1907 |
| William John Arnold | 1907 | 1909 |
| George Thwaites | 1909 | 1912 |
| Robert McIvor | 1912 | 1916 |
| Charles Arthur Moeller | 1916 | 1918 |
| William Knight Cleverley | 1919 | 1921 |
| Alfred Herbert Saunders | 1922 | 1926 |
| Assistant Keeper (1st) | From | To |
| John Frederick Ericsen | 1876 | 1878 |
| Donald McNeill | 1878 | 1883 |
| John Marsh | 1883 | 1884 |
| Robert Cathcart | 1884 | 1893 |
| William Colley | 1893 | 1895 |
| David Partington | 1895 | 1898 |
| Hosier Reeves Cunningham | 1898 | 1903 |
| James Anderson | August, 1902 | September, 1902 |
| William Townsend | 1903 | 1904 |
| William Noble Edmonds | 1904 | 1905 |
| Francis Brown | 1905 | 1906 |
| John Walter Arthur | 1909 | 1913 |
| Peter Wallace Grenfell | 1911 | 1913 |
| Robert Jones | 1913 | 1914 |
| Robert Stephen Wilson | 1915 | 1916 |
| John Pottinger | 1916 | 1917 |
| Rainsford Henry Neal | 1917 | 1920 |
| Eric Howard Tarlton | January, 1920 | May, 1920 |
| Frederick Norman Evans | 1920 | 1922 |
| Robert Stuart Sutherland | April, 1922 | November, 1922 |
| Hugh Owen Williams | 1922 | 1924 |
| Albert Moffitt | 1924 | 1925 |
Text and photographs. Copyright © 1999-2005 Mark Phillips. All rights reserved.