WELLINGTON: SOUTH WAIRARAPA
31-Mar-15 | return to location list print |
Cape Palliser Lighthouse
rvexplorer id: 19581
248 steps up to the top
and what they look like from the top
An Ausise couple enjoying the view
Public toilet - tied down so it doesn't get blown away.
Cape Palliser Lighthouse is at the southern-most tip of the North Island. You can climb the stairs to the lighthouse to see stunning views over the bay and Pacific ocean.
If you've come all the way to Ngawi, you really need to go that little bit further, and experience the lighthouse!
This is a wild, rugged location. We were lucky enough to visit on a beautiful, warm, sunny autumn afternoon, but it could just as easily be a howling gale and driving rain.
There is plenty of room in the carpark, which includes a toilet. The access road is gravel, and there is a short one-lane section that you need to be a bit careful on.
Climbing up to the lighthouse platform is really worth it for the views over the coastline and south Pacific ocean. However, there are 248 steps to get up there - not for the faint-hearted or short of breath!
I did make it up to the top, but was overtaken about half way up by a younger, Australian couple, who didn't seem to need to keep stopping like I did. I must admit to feeling a bit stiff and sore for a couple of days after.
You could probably freedom camp here, but it is a bit isolated and exposed. Much better to stay at the reserve back in Ngawi.
The coastline looking west from the lighthouse platform
The coastline looking east and over the southern Pacific ocean
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