Cuvier Island
| Cuvier Island | |
|---|---|
| Waters | Pacific Ocean |
| Geographical location | 36 ° 26 ′ 0 ″ S , 175 ° 46 ′ 0 ″ E |
 |
|
| length | 2.5 km |
| width | 1.4 km |
| Highest elevation | 214 m |
| Residents | uninhabited |
Cuvier Island ( Māori : Repanga ) is a small island off the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand . It is located at the ocean end of the Colville Channel , 15 km north of the Mercury Islands and about 23 km southeast of Great Barrier Island . The island is a protected area managed by the Department of Conservation and is part of a project to eliminate non-native mammals and restore the original ecosystem on New Zealand islands. The Tieke in particular was successfully resettled here. The island is named after the French naturalist Georges Cuvier .
lighthouse
The island is a landmark for ships entering the Hauraki Gulf . On the island is the lighthouse , Cuvier Island Lighthouse . The tower was designed by David Scott. The beacon was made in Glasgow by James Milne, the prism optics in France by Barbier and Fenestre. The components were brought to New Zealand in 1887 by the New Zealand Shipping Company's Aorangi steamship . The government-owned steamer Stella took over the transport to Cuvier Island. Because of the impassable terrain without a suitable pier, rails were laid up a steep cliff to transport the parts directly from the ship to the tower stand. The tower was built from 1988 to 1889 and put into operation on September 22, 1989.
The lighthouse keepers were housed in a sheltered valley near the tower. Until the 1970s, the tower was manned by three guards due to its remote location. Supplies came on a supply ship every three months. In the years 1899 to 1911 carrier pigeons were used to transmit messages, but this turned out to be less reliable. In 1940 the island received a radio link.
In 1939 the tower received electrical lighting with an output of 1 kW, which was supplied with energy by a diesel generator. The beacon was automated in 1982 and has been remotely controlled from the operator and owner's headquarters, Maritime New Zealand , in Wellington ever since . In 1996 the energy supply was switched to solar energy and beacons were replaced in order to be able to reduce the power consumption to 100 W.
The beacon has a height of 119 m above sea level and a range of 35 km. Its light flashes white every 15 seconds. The tower itself consists of a 15 m high, cylindrical cast iron structure and was the first cast iron lighthouse in New Zealand when it was built in 1889.
Web links
- Historic Cuvier Island Light Station . Department of Conservation ,accessed January 11, 2016.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Cuvier Island (1889) . New Zealand Lighthouses , archived from the original on December 13, 2013 ; accessed on January 11, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Repanga (Cuvier Iceland) Nature Reserve . Department of Conservation , accessed January 11, 2016 .
- ↑ Light Houses of New Zealand - Cuvier Island K3886 . Maritime New Zealand , archived from the original on September 28, 2007 ; accessed on January 11, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).