NUGGET POINT...Tucked away in the South East corner of the South Island of NewZealand at a Latitude
of :46 degree's 27 min South and a Longitude of :169 degree's 49 min East near the mouth of the Clutha
river .As there are many small reefs and Islets close by it was considered that the area was a danger for
shipping even so, most of the shipping misfortunes happened nearby along the Clutha River.
The light is in a 9.4 metre stone tower at a height of 76 meters above sea level,with in this tower is the
original lantern ,this first began operating in July 1870.Oil illumination was the first method used untill
1949 when the light was converted to electricity as generated on site, later a cable was layed and the
light from then on was powered from the national electrical grid.
At a flash rate of twice every 12 seconds the light can be seen at a distance of 19 nautical miles or for
you metric people 35 kilometres
As the Nugget point light was only 11 kilometres from the nearby town of KAKA Point it was not a
islolated place to be so the keepers and their families could make use of the schooling and other items of
civilization. Access to the light is by the way of a walking track,this passes by a seal colony on the rocks
down below the base of the point the light is situated on .
1989 came along and with it came the technology which enabled the light to automated,it was then that
the last of the keepers were withdrawn.The light is now monitored from the capital city of New Zealand,
Wellington.