Kahurangi Lighthouse

Just south of the imaginary line between Tasman and the West Coast is an outcrop which was seen as a fitting location for a lighthouse and there the Kahurangi Point Lighthouse was built in 1903.

A different type of inaccessible from many other lighthouse situations, this spot is challenged by thick bush, big rivers and rough coastline. The nearest landing point for supplies here was perceived to be Big Bay, but unloading was dangerous. When the Lighthouse itself arrived from Thames by barge, prefabricated in cast iron, there was a casualty where one man broke his leg, and needed to be carried 145km inland for medical attention.

This station was reported to be a popular one with lighthouse keepers, maybe because of the high sunshine hours and the excellent seafood. After a variety of changes of keeper and keeping practices, the lighthouse went fully automatic with a solar powered light in 1997, upgraded to LED in 2007.

Access: This route is described by the Department of Conservation as an expert tramp of about 3-4 hours from the north or the south. The reason for this is that the coastline is wild and the there are two rather serious river crossings to take into account. They should only be attempted at low tide and low river flow. DOC has reused all the parts from the keeper's houses and created a 23 bunk hut.