Tiritiri Matangi
Lighthouse overview
Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse is on Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf. It marks the approach to Auckland Harbour, around 28 kilometres to the south.
Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse still in operation in New Zealand. It was the first lighthouse to be built by the Government.
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Lighthouse feature: |
details |
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Location: |
latitude 36°36' south, longitude 174°54' east |
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Elevation: |
91 metres above sea level |
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Construction: |
cast iron tower |
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Tower height: |
21 metres |
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Light configuration: |
24-volt flashing LED beacon |
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Light flash character: |
white light flashing once every 15 seconds |
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Power source: |
batteries charged by solar panels |
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Range: |
18 nautical miles (33 kilometres) |
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Date light first lit: |
1865 |
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Automated: |
1984 |
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Demanned: |
1984 |
Visit Tiritiri Matangi
Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse station on Tiritiri Matangi Island, is accessible to the public. The lighthouse is not open to visitors.
Tiritiri Matangi photos
Download this four-page photo gallery of Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse, with images from as early as 1865. The gallery shows the operation of the lighthouse and life on Tiritiri Matangi Island.
History of Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse
Lighthouse construction
Construction of the lighthouse was very difficult. It took four months to dig down through three metres of thick, boggy, clay-like mud to reach ground hard enough to build on.
Building materials for the lighthouse were shipped to the island, then carted in sledges by bullocks over the slippery banks to the construction site. Construction was completed in December 1864 and the light was lit for the first time on 1 January 1865. The light source itself has undergone ten changes – from colza oil to today’s LED.
In 2019, the lighthouse was fitted with a 24-volt flashing LED beacon to replace its rotating beacon.
The original 1861 tower designs for Tiritiri Matangi by McLean and Stilman Civil Engineers, George St., London.