Cuvier Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Cuvier Island, a small island off the east coast of the North Island  of New Zealand. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand. (Maritime NZ An aerial shot of Cuvier Island lighthouse and surrounding homestead.)   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   Getting to Cuvier Island Lighthouse Cuvier Island Lighthouse is not accessible to the public. The island is now a predator-free nature reserve administered by the Department of Conservation. Public access to Cuvier Island is restricted to permit holders only owing to its status as a nature reserve History The light was constructed in 1889 and was the first lighthouse built in New Zealand using cast iron. The light was fully automated in 1982 and is controlled by the Maritime New Zealand headquarters in Wellington. Cuvier Island itself is a wildlife reserve that is managed by the Department of Conservation and is part of an island restoration project. Cuvier Island Lighthouse was the first cast iron tower to be built in New Zealand. The materials had to be hauled nearly 100 metres up the steep hill as soon as they were taken from the boats. There was no beach near the site. Operation of the Cuvier Island light The light was originally powered by oil illumination and converted to diesel-generated electricity in 1939. The lighthouse was automated in 1982 and the final keeper was withdrawn then. In the 1990s the original 1000 watt light and associated equipment were removed and a 100 watt rotating beacon was installed. The beacon is now powered from battery banks charged by solar panels. The light is monitored remotely from Maritime New Zealand’s Wellington office. Life at Cuvier Island light station Cuvier Island is the most distant of New Zealand’s offshore lighthouses. The sense of isolation is intensified by the heavy fog that often surrounds it. Three keepers and their families lived on the rugged and exposed light station. They lived in houses sited in a small sheltered valley at sea level, near the landing place. To tend the light the 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 cause of irritation for most keepers. Although this was a feature of all lighthouses, on the island stations this was taken to the extreme. Mail and supplies were brought by boat every 3 months. In the early years the station had a high turnover of keepers because of the isolation. In 1901 the principal keeper wrote: “This is the worst station I was ever at. There is no convenience.” Trained carrier pigeons were used to carry communications to Auckland between 1899 until 1911, although with little success. The pigeons were later replaced with radio communications. See also New Zealand portal Engineering portal List of lighthouses in New Zealand References ^ Rowlett, Russ. “Lighthouses of New Zealand: North Island”. The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 13 November 2015. ^ Cuvier Island Lighthouse Profile Archived 2015-11-17 at the Wayback Machine (from the Maritime New Zealand website) External links Cuvier Island Lighthouse in Lighthouse Digest’s Lighthouse Explorer Database Lighthouses of New Zealand Maritime New Zealand Picture of Cuvier Island Lighthouse The Lighthouse Directory