Akaroa Lighthouse

The Akaroa lighthouse is a six-sided wooden tower that first shone at Akaroa Head in 1880, guiding ships into the old French settler port on Banks Peninsula. When an automatic light replaced it in 1977 the tower could have been lost, but it was saved, cut into three sections and moved into Akaroa village in 1980. Today it stands near the waterfront at the southern end of the township, and you can climb its spiral staircase.

First lit	1 January 1880, at Akaroa Head
Moved to the village	1980
Design	D and T Stevenson, Edinburgh
Material	Wood, mostly kauri
Height	About 12.5 metres
Original focal height	82 metres above sea level, at the Head
Region	Akaroa, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury
Access	Public. Volunteer-run, open at limited times
Heritage	Heritage New Zealand Category 2

History

The tower was built at Akaroa Head between 1878 and 1879 and first lit on 1 January 1880. It was designed by the Edinburgh firm of D and T Stevenson, the Scottish engineers known as the Lighthouse Stevensons, from the same family as the writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Unusually for the time it was built of wood rather than iron or stone, six-sided and weatherboarded, with a lens from France and clockwork from Scotland. A southerly storm wrecked the half-built frame during construction, delaying the work. It marked the entrance to Akaroa Harbour through the busy years of coastal shipping, when the sea was the main way in and out of the port.

From the headland to the village

For nearly a century keepers lived at the exposed Head. In December 1977 a small automatic light took over the job, and the wooden tower was made redundant. Rather than let it go, the Akaroa Lighthouse Preservation Society had it cut into three sections and trucked down to the village in 1980, where it was reassembled and restored. It is now one of the few early wooden lighthouses left in New Zealand, and volunteers still look after it.

Visiting Akaroa Lighthouse

The lighthouse stands at Lighthouse Point, near Cemetery Point on Beach Road, at the southern end of Akaroa township, an easy walk from the main waterfront and wharf. Volunteers open it so you can climb the internal spiral staircase, though the hours are limited and vary through the year, so it is worth checking with the Preservation Society before making a special trip. You will also see it from the water on an Akaroa harbour cruise. Akaroa is about 90 minutes from Christchurch on State Highway 75, over the hills and along the harbour.

The old light at Akaroa Head

The original site out on the headland still carries a small automatic light and the stone foundations of the keepers’ houses. Getting there is a rough trip in its own right, around 11 kilometres of steep, narrow gravel road with the last stretch better suited to four-wheel drive, so most visitors stick to the wooden tower in the village.

Frequently asked questions

Can you climb Akaroa lighthouse?

Yes. The wooden tower in Akaroa village is opened by volunteers so you can climb its internal spiral staircase. Opening hours are limited and change through the year, so check with the Akaroa Lighthouse Preservation Society before you go.

Where is the Akaroa lighthouse?

At Lighthouse Point, near Cemetery Point on Beach Road, at the southern end of Akaroa township, close to the wharf. It was moved there from Akaroa Head in 1980.

How old is the Akaroa lighthouse?

It first shone at Akaroa Head on 1 January 1880, which makes it one of the older surviving lighthouses in New Zealand and one of the few built of wood.

Related guides and sources

• New Zealand Lighthouses Explorer, our interactive map of every major light around the coast.
• Heritage New Zealand listing for the Akaroa lighthouse.
• Department of Conservation on Banks Peninsula and Akaroa Head.

Make a day of it. Akaroa is New Zealand’s French settlement, with Rue street names, the Akaroa Museum and harbour cruises to see Hector’s dolphins. The lighthouse sits a short walk from the waterfront where the cruises leave.