Events In History
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1 January 1859New Zealand’s first lighthouse lit
Pencarrow Head lighthouse, at the entrance to Wellington Harbour, was lit for the first time amid great celebration. Read more...
Articles
Pencarrow Lighthouse
On 1 January 2014 Pencarrow Lighthouse at the entrance to Wellington Harbour celebrates its 155th anniversary. New Zealand’s first permanent lighthouse, Pencarrow was also home to this country’s first – and only – female lighthouse keeper.
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Page 2 – Slow beginnings
It took 20 years for the first settlers to get a decent lighthouse built at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
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Page 3 – The lighthouse and its surroundings
Key events in the development of the Pencarrow Lighthouse
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Page 4 – Pencarrow Lighthouse keepers
The experiences of the Pencarrow Lighthouse keepers and their families
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Page 5 – Daily life and learning
Daily life at Pencarrow Lighthouse has been recorded for posterity in the countless records and forms the Marine Department required keepers to complete ‘daily, weekly, monthly
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Page 6 – Timeline
A timeline of key dates in the history of Pencarrow Lighthouse
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Page 7 – Further information
This web feature was written by Imelda Bargas and produced by the NZHistory.net.nz team.Links 'Guardians of the Light' - documentary about lighthouse keepers (NZ On Screen
Biographies
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Bennett, Mary Jane
Mary Jane Bennett remains the only woman to have been a lighthouse keeper in New Zealand. She took on the role at Pencarrow from her husband following his death in 1855.
Read more...
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Main image: Pencarrow Lighthouse
Pencarrow Lighthouse was our first permanent light and is the only one to have had a female keeper.