Waipapa Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse located at Waipapa Point

Waipapa Point

Waipapa Point is a rocky promontory on the south coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located southeast of the mouth of the Mataura River, at the extreme southwestern end of the area known as the Catlins....

, Southland

Southland Region

Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...

, 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 first lit on January 1, 1884.

The lighthouse was built in response to the wreck of the passenger steamer Tararua

SS Tararua

SS Tararua was a passenger steamer that struck the reef off Waipapa Point in the Catlins on 29 April 1881, and sank the next day, in the worst civilian shipping disaster in New Zealand's history. Of the 151 passengers and crew on board, only 20 survived the shipwreck.-Ship:The Tararua was a...

on reefs off Waipapa Point on April 29, 1881, with the loss of 131 lives. With its sibling, the retired Kaipara North Head lighthouse, this was one of the last two wooden lighthouses built in New Zealand.

The lighthouse was automated and keepers withdrawn in 1976. It has been solar powered since 1988. Restoration work conducted in 2008 ensured it was weatherproof and secure from vandalism.