Pencarrow Head Lighthouse facts for kids
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| Upper lighthouse (decommissioned) | |
 Pencarrow Head Lighthouse
Location in New Zealand Wellington
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| Location | Pencarrow Head North Island New Zealand |
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| Coordinates | 41°21′32″S 174°51′00″E / 41.358845°S 174.850110°E |
| Year first constructed | 1859 |
| Year first lit | 1859 |
| Deactivated | 1935 |
| Construction | cast iron tower |
| Tower shape | tapered octagonal tower |
| Markings / pattern | white tower and lantern, black lantern roof |
| Height | 11.5 metres (38 ft) |
| Focal height | 108 metres (354 ft) |
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| Coordinates | 41°21′33″S 174°50′53″E / 41.359268°S 174.847975°E |
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| Year first constructed | 1906 |
| Construction | concrete tower |
| Tower shape | octagonal tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings / pattern | white tower and lantern |
| Height | 17 metres (56 ft) |
| Focal height | 18 metres (59 ft) |
| Characteristic | Fl (3) RW 12s. |
| Admiralty number | K4006 |
| NGA number | 4588 |
| ARLHS number | NZL-039 |
The Pencarrow Head Lighthouse is a famous old lighthouse located at Pencarrow Head in the Wellington area of New Zealand. It's no longer used for guiding ships, but it has a very interesting history!
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New Zealand's First Lighthouse
This lighthouse was built in 1859. It was the very first permanent lighthouse ever built in New Zealand. Imagine, it was made from strong cast iron pieces. These pieces were shipped all the way from England!
The first person to look after the light was a woman named Mary Bennett. She was the first and only female lighthouse keeper in New Zealand's history. That's pretty cool!
The original lighthouse stopped working in 1935. A newer lighthouse, the Baring Head Lighthouse, took its place.
A Protected Historic Place
The Pencarrow Head Lighthouse is very important to New Zealand's history. It is officially listed as a Category I Historic Place. This means it's a very special building that needs to be protected.
It was one of the first buildings in Wellington to get this special protection. This happened soon after the New Zealand Historic Places Trust was created. In 1959, a special plaque was added to the lighthouse to celebrate its 100th birthday.
Since 1966, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust has been in charge of looking after this historic building.
The Pencarrow Sector Light
Sometimes, the first lighthouse was hard to see. Thick fog and clouds often covered it because it was so high up. So, a new, lower lighthouse was built in 1906.
This newer lighthouse is called the Pencarrow Sector Light. It is still working today and helps guide ships safely.
Visiting the Lighthouses
You can visit the Pencarrow lighthouses, but there's no road to get there. You can walk or ride a mountain bike along the coast.
The path to the upper lighthouse is quite steep. A trip there and back takes about four hours if you walk. If you go by mountain bike, it takes about one and a half hours. It's a great adventure!
