I've been tardy in posting to my blog this year. Apologies. We've been buzzing around New Zealand, visiting lighthouses, bachs and more. New Zealand, with it's kilometres of rugged coast has loads of lighthouses. We visited a few within driving distance of Wellington.
Castlepoint lighthouse is an easy walk up a sealed path, but you can also climb down the other side and peer around the huge rocks to the ocean below. The ground is somewhat crumbly, so best not to get too near the edge

Captain Cook observed that Castle Point looked like an “old medieval stronghold” when he first saw it. The terrain has been battered by the seas over centuries.
The Castle Point light was one of the last manned lights to be established in New Zealand and was known as the “holiday light” -  I guess because Castlepoint is a great holiday spot. We stayed at a motel right by the beach with a super view of the lighthouse.
More about the lighthouse:

The light was originally illuminated by an incandescent oil burning lamp. This was changed to diesel-generated electricity in 1954. and then connected to mains electricity in 1961. In 1988 the light station was automated and the last keeper was withdrawn.The light is now monitored remotely from Maritime New Zealand’s Wellington office.

Interesting to know: Castle Point lighthouse is one of only two lighthouses in New Zealand that are still fitted with the original lens.

Next was Cape Palliser lighthouse. There are 250 steps to climb  to reach the lighthouse, but the view is worth it.

 

The small  nearby fishing village of Ngarimu was hosting a fishing competition when we arrived - four hundred fisherpersons were queuing up with their catch to be weighed and measured! We loved the wheelbarrow being used to cart the fish! The big blue nose (top pic) would have been hard to beat! Up on the hill behind the weigh-in booth was a marquee set up for the evening's entertainment and prize giving.

 
 


Our next stop was Baring Head lighthouse. This time the uphill hike was 45 minutes..and of course, the same time down again! Fantastic views back to the Wellington heads, and a peek in the distance of Pencarrow lighthouse.