For this final Lighthouse of the Week in 2023, I've gone to one of the places that greets the New Year the earliest -- New Zealand. (By the way, have you ever wondered where "Old Zealand" is? It's actually from Zeeland, in Holland, because Dutch explorer Abel Tasman found the islands.)
But back to our lighthouse. As you hopefully know, New Zealand has two main islands, aptly named the North Island and the South Island. This lighthouse is a small and cute one, located on French Pass, which lies at the north end of the South Island. So the nearest major city is Wellington, on the North Island.
It's easier with the map of where it is located. You'll note that the map says "French Pass Lighthouses", plural, because there is also one in the channel (pass) itself, which is the French Pass Reef light.
Let's get the pertinent information (Lighthouse Directory is the source):
"1884. Active; focal plane 3 m (10 ft); continuous light, red or white depending on direction of approach. 5 m (17 ft) round lantern, painted white, mounted on a round stone pedestal. Red filters on adjustable panels are used to set the sector boundaries precisely. A wooden bridge connects the tower to the shore. ... This tiny lighthouse, built to mark the difficult channel, was tended by a keeper until 1967. Located on the mainland (south) shore of the pass."
Before the pictures, here's a great story about French Pass and the first successful (barely) passage through it by a French explorer, D'Urville (who later on came to a historic end - read the whole story.)
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