Manukau Heads lighthouse, on the Awhitū Peninsula. Photo / Auckland Unlimited
Manukau Heads lighthouse, on the Awhitū Peninsula. Photo / Auckland Unlimited
Once lockdown is over, we'll all be in need of a good walk. Plan ahead for a visit to one of these 10 magnificent lighthouses, writes Michael Lamb
Lighthouses are, by definition, in prominent locations and that invariably means dramatic coastlines and wondrous vistas. Here are 10 great New Zealand lighthouse walks that can be done and dusted in an hour or two.
1. Tutukaka Lighthouse, Northland - 2.4 km return
The Tutukaka coast is a wonderment of coves and rocky inlets and this sub-1 hour excursion (each way) to the lighthouse is all you could want in a quick hike. From the carpark, there's a rapid descent down to a glorious double-sided pebble beach (the sea swamps in from two sides through a cut in the cliff, check the tides), then through some cute covelets to climb the headland. The track was muddy so we made walking sticks out of stray branches but still got the comedic bonus of various pratfalls, especially coming back down (no bodily harm done, happily). Actually, lighthouse might be pushing it, it's more of a light stump but this is compensated for by the dreamy views out to the Poor Knights and beyond.
2. Nugget Point Lighthouse, Catlins - 1.1km return
If you need a post-lockdown excuse to visit the Catlins (and you don't), this beautiful walk and stunning lighthouse location will do the trick. An easy walk is rewarded with probably one of the most scenic approaches to any lighthouse in this list, on a lonely storybook promontory. Once there, it reveals a bonus party trick, looking down over the rocky home of the seals, some dozing, some frolicking, far enough away to go about their business untroubled by gawping visitors.
3. Baring Head Lighthouse, Wellington - 6km return
Like all Wellington activities, let the wind be your guide and aim for a less gusty day to check this one out. Unique because this is a proper lighthouse compound still in its original condition, complete with the surrounding cottages and gardens, there are exciting plans afoot to create a visitor centre and overnight accommodation. To visit, find your way to the East Harbour Regional Park car park and head off on your lighthouse walk from there (there's a track or service road to choose from). Even better, once you have absorbed the lighthouse views you can loop back via the Para Trig and check out the cluster of World War II bunkers.
4. East Cape Lighthouse, Gisborne - 1.1km return
Heading to the East Cape Lighthouse for sunrise is a must-do on any NZ wish list. It's on the easternmost point of the North Island, where the light of the new day makes landfall first (okay by picoseconds but who's counting!) so magical light-show views are guaranteed in good weather. Climbing the circa 700 steps from the gate, which take you to 154m above sea level, is challenging but the outcome is certainly worth it. The lighthouse was first lit in 1900, although it was actually relocated here in 1922 from the crumbling, sea-battered East Island, which it overlooks.
Waipapa Point, Southland. Photo / Great South
5. Waipapa Point Lighthouse, Catlins - 1km return
Trumped to the honour of being at NZ's southernmost tip by nearby Slope Point (to the tune of a mere couple of hundred metres), this rugged, windswept place also commemorates a maritime tragedy. Back in 1881 the passenger steamer Tararua foundered here, with 131 travellers lost. Today the solar-powered Waipapa Point Lighthouse is one of only two remaining timber working lighthouses (along with Bean Rock Lighthouse in Auckland Harbour), and a gentle walk (expect to be bent into a chilly southerly) rewards with vast sea views. Sea lions and fur seals frequently hold court on the beach below.
6. Katiki Point Lighthouse, Otago - 1.1km return
A few clicks north of Dunedin, the Katiki Point Lighthouse (aka the Moeraki Lighthouse), nestles on the southern point of Moeraki Peninsula. Your admittedly brief walk to the lighthouse must be extended by following the path out along the headland, where the extra effort will be rewarded thanks to the famed line-up of wildlife to be encountered here. Depending on season, time of day and nature's whims, expect yellow-eyed penguins, seals, sea lions, sea birds plus you might spot passing dolphins including the rare Hector's dolphin.
If you live in the Auckland region and have never visited this lighthouse, you must remedy that as soon as we're back in level 2. Dating from 1874, this is a rare lighthouse where you can actually access the interior ("the lightkeeper's den") - and buy a souvenir tea towel. Come for views (the aspect out over the Manukau bar and up the southern tip of Whatipu Beach is particularly magnificent), stay for the backstory. The informative display will fill you in on the tragic fate of the HMS Orpheus, which ran aground on the bar in 1863 with 189 souls lost, still New Zealand's worst maritime disaster. Although this excursion is not strictly a walk since you can park quite close, to do it properly you will also include the offshoot walk to the nearby carved Māori gateway which represents the ancestral whakapapa of the local Ngāti Te Ata and Waiohua tribes.
8. Pillar Point Lighthouse and Cape Farewell, Nelson Tasman - 4.2km return
The lighthouse itself isn't the most photogenic one you'll find but the great thing about this outing are the magnificent views out along Farewell Spit. From a small car park off Wharariki Rd, you'll find a track that climbs steadily up to the lighthouse. There are plenty of options for add-ons, like taking a loop south past Cape Farewell, with remarkable views over Wharariki Beach. There's actually a lighthouse right at the end of Farewell Spit too (which dates from 1870) but access to that one is only via organised nature tours.
9. Pouto Lighthouse, Auckland - 14km return
Ok, so we promised these were short walks, but this one is worth the extra effort and perfect for Auckland daytrippers. Also known as Kaipara North Head Lighthouse, it harks back to an era when the Kaipara Harbour was an official port for both passengers and trade (kauri exports in particular) and the lighthouse helped guide traffic through the treacherous harbour entrance sand bar. Built in 1884 and decommissioned 1952, this is, like the Waipapa Lighthouse, a rarity built in timber. The road to Pouto is sealed now, so that just leaves a scenic 7km walk along the harbour's southern shoreline of the Pouto peninsula (vital to check the tides). The lighthouse is perched on a sandstone outcrop and you can climb the big sand dunes nearby for even more expansive views.
It's more of a stair-climb challenge than a walk with 253 steps up to negotiate but the destination is worth the burning quad muscles (plus there's a rest platform halfway up). This grand, cast-iron lighthouse presides over a atmospheric location where the Pacific Ocean washes into Cook Strait, providing stunning views down the coast and across to the South Island. At lease 20 ships have been wrecked in the vicinity, so there's plenty of dramatic backstory. The cape is home to NZ's largest fur seal population and you might even see pods of whales if you linger long enough. Make sure you swing by the Pūtangirua Pinnacles too (just 4km away), the incredible rock formations used in Lord Of The Rings.
Check lockdown advisories and alert level restrictions before travel. covid19.govt.nz
