Road Trip! Part Four: The Lighthouse

On our last day we made a point to make the trip out to the East Cape lighthouse, which sits on the Easternmost point of mainland New Zealand, and carries the distinction of being the most Easterly lighthouse in the world. We considered making it a dawn run so we could be among the first people to set eyes on the sun on October 21st, but really it just wasn't that important to us, so we didn't get up until 8 or so.

The way out looked quite promising for adventure from the start: gravel road hugging the cliffs, threatening to subside in places, narrowing to barely one lane in others. It's hard to believe with those conditions that it's such a touristed (nice word, I think I'll keep it) place, but that's New Zealand and the East Coast in particular for you.


Our first glimpse of the lighthouse indicated pretty quickly that there would be something like 700 stairs involved.


It was probably good to work out our stiff surfing and riding muscles from the day before, though it didn't feel like it at the time.



It was built here on East Island in 1900, where the keepers lived in a small settlement of cottages with their families.


22 years of difficult of island life took it's toll on the keepers, and cost three of their children's lives. The danger of cliff erosion finally convinced the government to move it to it's current location (part of East Island is visible in the bottom left corner of this photo).


A lighthouse keeper manned the mainland site until 1985, when it was fully automated and hooked up to a computer in Wellington, at the very bottom of the North Island.