Tag: lighthouses

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Nugget Point Lighthouse at night

A hilltop lighthouse stands tall, overlooking the expansive ocean and its serene waves.

One of the most iconic but also frustrating lighthouses to photograph is Nugget Point Lighthouse. Browsing images online you see incredible photographs of the lighthouse and nugget rocks and a starry skyline behind. This was my third attempt at photographing the lighthouse. Back in the winter of 2018 my original dusk view of Nugget Point Lighthouse was much more zoomed in on the path and lighthouse. This time I knew the weather would again be cloudy, but I wanted to capture a shot with more of the rocky nuggets in the background. Being summer it was about 10:30pm when this was captured. For me this is another work in progress lighthouse location. I plan to come back one winter and wait for a clear night sky.

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New Brighton Lighthouse at night

A lighthouse stands tall at dusk, its reflection shimmering in the calm water below.


I’ve photographed this lighthouse before, but it had been many years since I had been in New Brighton. The last time was in 2009 and not much had changed with the lighthouse itself. My friend Mark now lives nearby. So when I booked my flights to the UK we set a time in our calendars to catch up and go out for sunset and dusk. The weather wasn’t really on our side but we made the most of it. Even having a chance to get a quick drone flight. This photograph was taken from the ground. Back in 2009 when I photographed the lighthouse at New Brighton, I avoided the Port of Liverpool in the background on the other side of the River Mersey. This time I included it. Getting the camera very low to the ground to include the reflection of the lighthouse on the beach.

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Path to Waipapa Point Lighthouse

A black and white image depicting a winding path that leads to a distant lighthouse, surrounded by native bushes and trees.

A lot of lighthouses aren’t that accessible. There are 23 active lighthouses in New Zealand. The Waipapa Point Lighthouse looks like it would be accessible from online image searches and The Catlins official website. These sites need to update their photographs. The native bush and trees have grown up around the lighthouse making it difficult to see and photograph. You can follow the path shown here to get closer to the lighthouse but it is surrounded by a wire fence. There’s also a lighthouse keepers cottage next to the lighthouse which is a private residence. So no jumping over the fence for a sneaky close up. It was worth the visit if you find yourself in the Catlins getting bored with waterfalls. The Waipapa Point Coastal walk as less than 15 minutes each way from the carpark. One of the best places on this part of the coast to watch the sea birds and marine mammals.

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Milky Way above lighthouse

The Milky Way stretches across the night sky, casting a celestial glow over a tall white lighthouse illuminating the surrounding sky.

I’ve photographed the Castlepoint lighthouse a number of times. Last winter I planned a weekend stay to coincide with a new moon. Luckily on the first night the clouds cleared and the stars shone brightly. The lighthouse is very bright though. I had forgotten just how bright it appears on camera. So my original view of the lighthouse in the foreground and Milky Way above didn’t quite work out. Getting my camera close to the base of the lighthouse and looking up I was able to capture the above. This is one of my best photographs of the Milky Way so far but still very much work in progress in my opinion. I have unfinished business with astrophotography at Castlepoint.