This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is the original citation considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Completed in 1865 on Dog Island in Foveaux Strait near the entrance to Bluff Harbour, this lighthouse is both the tallest and one of the oldest in the country. Tenders were called in February 1864, and a contract let on April 9 of that year. The lighthouse was designed by James Balfour (uncle of Robert Louis Stevenson) and built of quarried stone obtained on the island. The structure, standing over 35 metres high, has alternate black and white bands making it an impressive sight in Foveaux Strait. The walls have been strengthened on the exterior by a skin of reinforced concrete and these 1918 major structural repairs were the last made to the lighthouse. Good maintenance over the years has ensured the survival of this historic lighthouse to effectively perform its function as a major navigational aid. As well as its age and height it is significant for its rare use of masonry in a New Zealand lighthouse and as an extant example of the work of an eminent engineer.
Location
List Entry Information
Overview
Detailed List Entry
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
395
Date Entered
11th November 1984
Date of Effect
11th November 1984
City/District Council
Invercargill City
Region
Southland Region
Legal description
Sec 1 SO 12376 (RT 4662), Southland Land District