TUAHINE LIGHTHOUSE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12509, 18 July 1911, Page 5

TUAHINE LIGHTHOUSE.

CONSTRUCTING THE PEDESTAL. On a small rocky islet, immediately below the sheer bluff of Tuahine point that forms the northern entrance to the bay exposed to the full force of the Pacific storms, a small gang of workmen are day by day engaged m the erection of a substantial concrete tower that is to form the base of the new Tuahine lighthouse. Tuahine supplies a valuable beacon to mariners, not only in the working of the port, but in the navigation , of the coast, forming as it does a guide to the locality of the dangerous Ariel reef. The brief history of tlie Tuahine lighthouse has been marked by a series of misfortunes. First, the wooden tower, containing a Norwegian iamp, was destroyed by fire, and last winter the admirably equipped lighthouse erected by the Marine Department had tp be "quickly demolished because it was feared landslides would carry it into the sea, in consequence of substantial subsidences and ominous cracks that had developed at this point. In the meantime a temporary light has been maintained by the Harbor Board at a higher altitude, and although a useful beacon, its reliability has not . been too certain, owing to the fact that the flashing mechanism revolves on some nights and not on others. To ensure the safety of the.Ji^ht and the. guarantee of a reliable beacon a new tower is being erected. The spot selected for the purpose is the rocky islet mentioned above, about 120ft. below the previous site. The islet is oval in shape, fifty to sixty feet in diameter, and separated from the mainland by a narrow waterwav, twenty to thirty feet in width. Down through t^ie centre of the rock a shaft ha9 been sunk, 6ft. below low water mark. To enable this to be done the top of the rock was , first blasted off, the outer side being left intact to form a protection to the workmen. Blasting had to be resorted to and proved the rock to be of a substantial nature. Up through the shaft a solid concrete pedestal, 15ft. in diameter, is being erected, reinforced with heavy railway iron. x This pedestal will be 45ft. in height, and will form the base upon which the former iron tower and lantern will bo mounted. •Unfortunately the contract was not let until the end of the summer, and the consequence is the work is - now proceeding in the depths .of winter. Tuahine is exposed to every wind that blows, and they blow, with piercing keenness and astonishing velocity. Fre"quently operations have to be suspended op. this account. -//' .'•■'_'..' Perched on a shelf, close on a hii*idred feet above the sea, is the platforhi from which operations are directed. The concrete as it is mixed is lowered down a cable way. on to the rock beneath, the fujl box brings the empty box back. To convey the stone and other material to the platform,, a temporary tramway, almost perpendicular, has * been , laid down, and up this the materials are hauled from the beach below. Access to the islet is also rather difficult, the men being required to lower themselves down the cliff face, in which a series of Pitches are cut, by a rope. Landing at a spot near the base of the cliff a. swaying wire bridge has to be negotiated to reach the lighthouse site.. An inspection of the cliff at this point reveals the fact that marked changes have taken' place in the last 10 years. The channel between the cliff and the islet has widened, and a large cave that formerly existed at the spot shows signs of recent subsidence, probably accounting for the trouble above last winter. There appears, however, little fear of ,the. cliff tumbling down upon the new lighthouse, as the slope of the papa is distinctly eastward. The building of the pedestal is, roughly speaking, about half-way up, and is being carried out by, Mr J,. A. Nicol, the well-known local contractor, under the supervision of Mr Marshall, of the Public Works Department. Much depends on the weather, but the work will probably take another five or six weeks. So far no contract has been let for the erection of the tower and lantern which will surmount the concrete base, and winch were removed to Wainui for safety. The transference of this heavy 'and bulkj" material to the rocky spot will prove no easy undertaking! Some provision will no doubt have to be made for approaching the new lighthouse. The means of access how taken by. the Workmen would be out of the question on account of its danger. When completed the new light will be. placed a",, an, altitude of 55ft. above tho M-ater, and at such should be visible at|a distance of 15 miles from the brjdgo of an average steamer. It will also bo visible from the anchorage, a feature that does not apply to the present temporary light.