Hokatika lighthouse, New Zealand
Posted by: 
superstein
S 42° 42.421 E 170° 58.739
59G E 498278 N 5271719
Lighthouse located on a hilltop above Fitzherbert Street (NZ 6) on the north side of Hokitika
Waymark Code: WMNATX
Location: New Zealand
Date Posted: 02/02/2015
Views: 6
Due to the West Coast gold rushes, the river port at Hokitika grew quickly to become one of the busiest ports in the colony by the late 1860s. 10
The approach to the port was dangerous and by the end of 1865 after the port had been operating for little more than a year, some forty vessels had been wrecked on the coast or on the bar at the mouth of the Hokitika River. A signal station was erected at the river mouth to advise ships of the prevailing conditions.
By the 1870's, with vessels leaving for Jackson Bay, Okarita, Westport and Nelson and a steamer service to Melbourne, Australia, a lighthouse was surely needed.
In 1875, it was announced in the local Guardian newspaper that the lighthouse originally intended for the Tory Channel in the Marlborough Sounds would be erected on the terrace at Seaview (Goal Hill). Land was reserved in 1876, and a new lighthouse was constructed in 1879 designed by John Blackett, Marine Engineer to the General Government. The lighthouse was constructed of native Kauri timber, square shaped standing 18 foot tall. The lantern rested on a flat roof reached by an external ladder with a walkway around it originally protected by an iron balustrade. Cost of construction was £450.
Coastal Lighthouse: Lighthouse
Range Lights: Not listed
LIGHTHOUSE CHALLENGE VISIT: Not listed
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