Castlepoint, New Zealand

by chris cunningham

[CASTLEPOINT PHOTO GALLERY]

Castlepoint and its lighthouse on the Wairarapa Coast, east of Masterton. I had been reading a bit about this place and George said it was nice, so Jill and I did the extended Sunday drive through lots of rural farmland on our way to Castlepoint. On the way there was a huge pot sale going on. So of course we bought some huge pot and went on our way. Captain Cook named it Castle Point because he thought it looked like an old medieval stronghold. The light was lit for the first time on January 12th 1913. In 1922 a visitor to the lighthouse found the keeper dead. He had fallen from the tower when fixing the telephone wire. Which of course created the obligatory ghost story. In 1954 the light was converted from oil illumination to electricity from a diesel generator, before being connected to the country’s main power supply in 1961. In 1988 the light was automated and the keepers withdrawn. The light is now monitored by computer from Wellington. The tower is 75 feet tall, flashes three times every thirty seconds, and can be seen for 30 miles. …a little pdf file told me all that. Spin out your car on the beach, hike, surf, kayak, and fish. A chasethelight approved photo hot spot. They even have horse races on the beach in March.