Pencarrow Head Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
Pencarrow Head Lighthouse is a decommissioned Lighthouse
at Pencarrow Head in the Wellington Region
of the North Island
of New Zealand
.
It was the first permanent lighthouse built in New Zealand and was constructed from sections of cast iron
that were shipped from England
. Its first keeper, Mary Jane Bennett
, was the first and only female lighthouse keeper in New Zealand.
The light was decomisioned in 1935 when it was replaced by the Baring Head Lighthouse
and offered to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust
in 1966. The lighthouse is now registered as a Category I Historic Place.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
at Pencarrow Head in the Wellington Region
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
of the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
It was the first permanent lighthouse built in New Zealand and was constructed from sections of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
that were shipped from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Its first keeper, Mary Jane Bennett
Mary Jane Bennett
Mary Jane Bennett née Hebden was the first official lighthouse keeper in New Zealand, and the only woman to ever hold the role ....
, was the first and only female lighthouse keeper in New Zealand.
The light was decomisioned in 1935 when it was replaced by the Baring Head Lighthouse
Baring Head Lighthouse
Baring Head Lighthouse is a Lighthouse at Baring Head in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand....
and offered to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
The New Zealand Historic Places Trust is a non-profit trust that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand...
in 1966. The lighthouse is now registered as a Category I Historic Place.