NEW ZEALAND LIGHTHOUSES

Dog Island (1865)

Photo courtesy of MSA.

Located at the eastern approaches to Foveaux Strait, Dog Island Lighthouse marks a low flat island which only rises a couple of metres above sea level. The tower was the first to be designed by James Balfour, who later became the Colonial Marine Engineer, and was built from stone quarried on the island. It was first lit in August, 1865.

The cost was over  £10,000.

Due to soft subsoil the tower started to lean, so in 1916 the tower was encased in concrete.

Dog Island had the first revolving light in the country, consisting of sixteen individual oil lamps each with it's own lens rotating inside a single lantern. Other lighthouses had a single oil lamp with a rotating lens.

In 1925 the individual lamps were replaced with a single lamp with a rotating lens the same as other lights of the time. In 1954 the light was converted from oil to diesel-generated electricity.

The light was automated in 1989.

In June 1996, the 1925 lens was replaced with a small rotating lens powered by solar energy.

The tallest lighthouse in New Zealand, the tower is painted with black and white bands to make it standout during daylight hours.

DIRECTIONS:

Inaccessible to the public.

Views of the lighthouse are available from the lookout point at Bluff or drive up Bluff Hill for a great 360 degree view of the Bluff Harbour and Dog Island.

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