NEW ZEALAND LIGHTHOUSES

 

 

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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 The new light was lit in 1926 and the keepers were withdrawn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

 

 

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Text and photographs. Copyright © 1999-2005 Mark Phillips. All rights reserved.