The work of a lighthouse keeper was taxing and monotonous. Before the lights were electrified, the regular routine involved watching the light, pumping fuel, and winding up the weights that powered the lenses. But at some lighthouses the physical conditions were unusually demanding. At Puysegur Point in south Fiordland, for example, sandflies and gale-force winds had to be endured. In this sound clip Kevin Pennel recalls the atrocious weather during the very last days of the lighthouse.
Sound file from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. To request a copy of the recording, contact Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero (From the back country/Reference number 97/120/BC90/18).
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Phantom House Publishing
Photograph by Grant Sheehan
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