Cuvier Island, New Zealand

Lighthouse overview 

Cuvier Island Lighthouse guards the approach to Auckland Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf. It marks the first sight of land for ships coming in from the Pacific and is New Zealand’s most distant offshore lighthouse. 

Lighthouse feature:	Details
Location:	latitude 36°26’ south, longitude 175°47’ east
Elevation:	119 metres above sea level
Construction:	cast iron
Tower height:	15 metres
Light configuration:	rotating LED beacon
Light flash character:	white light flashing once every 15 seconds
Power source:	batteries charged by solar panels
Range:	19 nautical miles (35 kilometres)
Date light first lit:	1889
Automated:	1982
Demanned:	1982

There is no public access to enter the lighthouse

The history of Cuvier Island Lighthouse 

Cuvier Island Lighthouse was the first cast iron tower to be built in New Zealand. Once the building materials were unloaded from boats, they had to be hauled nearly 100 metres up a steep hill. There was no beach near the site. 

Operation of the light 

The light was originally powered by oil illumination. In 1939, it was converted to diesel-generated electricity. 

The lighthouse was automated in 1982, and the final keeper left the station that year. 

In the 1990s, the original 1000-watt light and associated equipment were removed and a 100-watt rotating beacon installed.  

Battery banks charged by solar panels now power the beacon. 

Life at Cuvier Island Lighthouse 

Cuvier Island is the most distant of New Zealand’s offshore lighthouses. Heavy fog often surrounds the island, which increases the sense of isolation. 

Three keepers and their families lived at the rugged and exposed lighthouse. 

They lived in houses in a small, sheltered valley at sea level, near the landing place. To tend the light, keepers had to climb the slope using a nearly vertical zigzag track. On a stormy night this track could be treacherous. 

The principal keeper wrote in 1892: 

“I have to inform you that the cause of illness of keepers at this station is through the hill walk at night. Climbing the slope, the keeper gets into a state of perspiration and coming into a light room where there is such a draught, causes him to get a chill which makes him not fit for his work.” 

The isolation was also a source of irritation for most keepers. It was common to all lighthouses but was more extreme on Cuvier Island. Mail and supplies arrived by boat every three months. In the early years, the station had a high turnover of keepers. 

In 1901, the principal keeper wrote: 

“This is the worst station I was ever at. There is no convenience.” 

Between 1899 and 1911, trained carrier pigeons carried messages to Auckland, although they were not very successful. Radio communications later replaced the pigeons.