Tuesday, 12 July 2022

Hokitika Lighthouse


In early Winter 2 weeks ago I stopped up a side road in Hokitika to check out this icon. Named the Hokitika Lighthouse it was built in 1879 and is 1 of 14 in the country designed by John Blackett (the father of the lighthouse system). Made from Kauri it was fitted with a fifth order dioptic to burn coal from the town supply.

It is 5.4 metres high, 36.6 metres above sea level and the light is visible from 26 kilometres away. It was discontinued in 1924 as the light was dismantled and sent to Wellington. The tower was handed back to the nearby Seaview Mental Asylum's hospital department for demolition but instead was fitted out as an observation tower.

Over the years it fell into disrepair but was restored in 1999 by Heritage Hokitika Inc.

Linking up with Through my lensTuesday TreasuresRuby TuesdayMy corner of the world, Wordless Wednesday.

14 comments:

At Home In New Zealand said...

How fortunate that the Asylum never dismantled it. Now it has been restored, I hope it lasts another hundred years so people can appreciate its history.

magiceye said...

Looks beautiful! Glad it was restored.

Tigger's Mum said...

Is it still possible to take in a view from the top?

Veronica Lee said...

Such a beauty!

So glad it was restored.

Happy Tuesday, Amy!

Fun60 said...

Glad to hear it was restored. It would be a real shame to lose this icon for ever.

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Tom said...

...I love lighthouses and this one is lovely. Thanks for sharing it.

NCSue said...

What an unusual and beautiful lighthouse! Thank you for sharing it at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2022/07/a-few-things-blooming-around-homeplace.html

Sharon said...

It sounds like it's been rescued several times and a good thing too. It is lovely.

Bill said...

It's a beauty, glad they decided to restore it.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

There is something so nostalgically beautiful about a lighthouse and I'm glad this one was preserved.

Iris Flavia said...

Glad they restored it, it´s beautiful.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I'm glad someone had the foresight to save this -- lots of history and its beautifully restored.

William Kendall said...

Well worth preserving.

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