PUYSEGUR POINT...This place was well known within the Lighthouse service to be one shortest manned and the most isolated lighthouse's in NewZealand .Being situated on the latitude 46 degree's 10 min South and at a Longitude 166 degree's 36 min East . This places the lighthouse on the South West extremity of Fiordland at the entrance to Foveaux Strait at the lower end of the South Island of NewZealand avery much wind blown ,cold damp ,sand fly riddled place.

The 5 metre tower was built of Australian Iron Bark timber on a site 45 metres above sea level It was with some difficulty, as the material was landed from boat 3 kilometres away due to not having a suitable safe landing area close by.Prior to even getting the material a track had to be cut through heavy bush so the equipment could be taken to the selected site.During this time four workers were lost in the heavy bush for 18 days and two others were drowned when their boat capsized in an nearby inlet.Eventualy the tower was completed in Febuary 1879 but it was until March that year that the Lantern was first lit .

In 1942 the wooden tower was burnt to the ground by a person as reported ." to be a demented person,a hermit of the area."it was said that he was very anoyed by the light flashing during the night !!.Must have been to go to that extreme. In January 1943 a concrete tower was built to replace the wooden one and a new lantern powered by a diesel electric generator was fitted to replace the old oil lamp.This white light flashes every 12 seconds and has a range of 22 nautical miles or 41 kilometres.

1980 came around and the last of the keepers were withdrawn,the light was replaced with two automatic lights on nearby Cape Providence and Windsor Point. Eventualy they were shut down and Puysegur Point was recommisioned in 1987.I believe the tower was again replaced ,this time with a white metal tower In 1989 the light was Automated and fitted with solar pannels.as per most if not all lighthouse's in NewZealand it is now monitored electronically from the capital city, Wellington.