Caution at Cape Brett landing
Date: 24 September 2008
Source: Bay of Islands Area Office
What a blow!
The Bay of Islands' historic Cape Brett Lighthouse gantry - the concrete landing leading up to the lighthouse - has been severely damaged by the winter storms.
Cape Brett gantry storm damage
"We knew the winter winds had been breezy," says the Department of Conservation's Bay of Islands Area historic ranger, Andrew Blanshard, "and wind gusts in the Bay were reported at 126 kilometres during July, but we have been surprised at the extent of the damage to the gantry.
"It looks as if the huge easterly swells have funnelled up under the structure and blown out the concrete platform. What's even more impressive is that there is no sign of the concrete that's been blasted out - it's all at sea!"
Andrew said the department's engineer would assess the damage and structural safety as soon as possible, and a decision would then be made as to full repair or a tidy-up.
"In the meantime a sign warns visitors of the rather large gap in the gantry, but we do ask people to take care if they want to use the gantry to get up to the lighthouse."
The Cape Brett Lighthouse and settlement has been the focus of a major upgrade for the last two years, beginning with the repainting of the 1909 lighthouse. Its history has also been written by historic ranger Christen McAlpine, whose book will be published later this year.
In a chapter headed 'The Wild Weather of the Cape' Christen says the Marine Department established a storm damage file in 1916 to manage all the reported damage caused by the weather.
"The first crane was severely damaged in 1916 by a strong gale that whipped up the ocean below the landing. In 1924 a storm washed the crane right off the landing it was bolted to," Christen says.
The largest reported wave was in 1951. It reached 43 metres above sea level and washed over the roof of the principal keeper's house.
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