KEY POINTS:
Sparkling in its new coat of white paint, the Cape Brett Lighthouse is well on the way to being restored to its former glory.
The light was kept blazing for 66 years by keepers and their families, but they became redundant when the light was automated in 1976.
Now, the Department of Conservation's Bay of Islands area office archaeologist, Andrew Blanshard, is calling on old friends of the lighthouse to share their stories and help with DoC's restoration project.
"We know there are many people around the country who have associations with the site, who may have lived there as lighthouse children, or visited in various capacities, and we want to hear from all of them," said Mr Blanshard.
The community that lived at the lighthouse grew enormous kumara, milked Polly the Jersey cow and received mail by rowboat. They downed brewed Lighthouse lager and dived for crayfish. An article in the New Zealand Herald dated March 27, 1963, described how a party of three men and a woman had struggled for seven hours through "heavy seas and a five mile trek along a cliff-top goat track" to deliver the head keeper's wife, Mrs R. Sears, a baby daughter.
The site is now very different, the only visitors being trampers who stay in the Cape Brett hut. But planned open days aim to bring life back to the lighthouse. The restoration will include upgrading the inside of the lighthouse, which was repainted earlier this year, and uncovering the tramway which runs 350m from the landing, up the hill to the lighthouse.
Also to be uncovered is the site of the buildings which housed members of the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II.
"We envisage having a couple of days each year where volunteers can help with the upgrade of the site. We would also have a couple of open days so that those who may not be able to assist with physical work but who are still enthusiastic about the place, can come on out and have a look," said Mr Blanshard.
- Northern Advocate
