Cape Brett Lighthouse

Cape Brett Lighthouse
Place:	Cape Brett , Bay of Islands , Far North District , Northland , North Island , New Zealand
Location:	Northland , New Zealand
Geographical location:	35 ° 10 '31.9 " S , 174 ° 19' 57.2" E Coordinates: 35 ° 10 '31.9 " S , 174 ° 19' 57.2" E
Height of tower base:	149 m
Fire carrier height :	14 m
Scope knows:	26.5 nm (49.1 km )
Optics:	Fresnel lens
Operating mode:	1910 oil lamp ; 1955 electrification ; out of service since 1978
Function:	lighthouse
Construction time:	1909-1910
Operating time:	1910-1978

Cape Brett with the lighthouse

Cape Brett Lighthouse is no longer in operation lighthouse on Cape Brett at the eastern end of the Bay of Islands in the Far North District in the Northland region of the North Island of New Zealand .

history

The lighthouse on Cape Brett comes from a second phase of intensive lighthouse construction at the beginning of the 20th century and was the last of a total of nine first-order lighthouses to be built nationwide.

The tower was designed by David Scott. The tower was made in England and the parts were shipped to New Zealand. The cast iron supporting structure of the tower was made by Judds in Thames . The lantern was designed by Stevensons in Edinburgh , components were supplied by Chance Brothers in Birmingham and Milnes in Edinburgh.

The tower was built in 1909/1910 and put into operation on February 21, 1910. The lighting with a range of 49 km was done with petroleum . For the first time in New Zealand, floating storage on a mercury bath was used to store the large and heavy optics with their Fresnel lens in a first class lighthouse . This made it possible to achieve a lower-friction, more stable mounting than with the previously common roller bearings.

For the three lighthouse keepers living here, three identical houses were built, one of which has been preserved.

In 1955 the beacon was electrified. The supply was initially via a diesel generator, and in 1967 it was connected to the power grid. However, equipment for emergency operation with oil is still available in the tower today. The rotary drive of the beacon was carried out by a clockwork, as it was standard in New Zealand lighthouses. On October 5, 1978, the tower was taken out of service. Its tasks were carried out by an automated beacon nearby.

Cultural monument

The site of the former lighthouse station with the lighthouse was registered on June 26, 2009 by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust under number 7799 as "Historic Place Category 1".

The tower and the surrounding area are now administered by the Department of Conservation . The tower is significant because the technical equipment was largely preserved in its entirety after it ceased operations. It could be restored to working condition with little effort. Most of the other buildings of the lighthouse station, however, are only remnants.

The lighthouse can be visited as part of guided tours by the DOC.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Website of the New Zealand Historic Trust on the cultural monument "Cape Brett Lighthouse Station"

[NZHPT-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Website of the New Zealand Historic Trust on the cultural monument "Cape Brett Lighthouse Station"