After watching the sunrise, we packed our bags and headed further down SH35 as far east as it went. We then took an unsealed road 20km further to the East Cape Lighthouse. There were 793 steps up, and then a beautiful view of nothing but ocean. This is the eastern most point in New Zealand, and one of the first places in the world to see the sun come up each day.
The lighthouse was built in the early 20th century. The century before, ten ships wrecked in this area. The black and white thing in the foreground is some land surveying thing. They can be found at most summits in New Zealand.
I can’t remember if my mother still likes lighthouses, or if she is now terrified of them after going to the top of one. Either way, this can be my Mothers’ Day post for her, since at one point she had an affinity for lighthouses. Happy Mothers’ Day Mom!
Are the pictures looking more pixelated than normal to anyone else?
The sunrise was gorgeous. So is the lighthouse. And, no, I’m not noticing anything pixelated. All the colors are lovely. And I found East Cape on the map. What a delightful journey you’re having.
Awww, THANKS for the Happy Mother’s Day wish and the lighthouse post! I still love lighthouses, just as long as I don’t have to climb them! Probably partly because of how much I love wind and waves, and probably partly because of how isolated they often are and the thought of lighthouse keepers actually living out in all that isolation. All just sort of mysterious and wild (in the non-cliche sense). And their architecture, inside and out–each unique and old–so much character. If their “walls could talk.” 793 steps?!?!!!? (Funny, it doesn’t look that tall in the photo, next to Beth and Sheryl [I assume].) So . . . were *you* terrified? (If you weren’t already from that crazy road! Yikes! Glad you included the photo, as it didn’t look like what I was imagining.) Probably a big part of what got to me in NC was that the stairs were the kind you could “see through” (maybe even fall through!) to the bottom. No photo from the top of the lighthouse??? How amazing to think of that being one of the first places on earth to see the sunrise. Just amazing. And to look out on nothing but ocean. OK, I must be in my late-night chatty zone, so I’ll close. Thanks for the posts! XOXOX
I like the road pic! Looks like quite a drive! Beautiful. Pictures don’t look pixelated to me – must be your connection maybe. The road looks a little “nervous” to drive on, but maybe it wasn’t and was relaxing. What’s the weather like? Cool? Do you run into other tourists along there?
Glad the pictures aren’t pixelated to anyone else . By the way, no the roads aren’t relaxing! Short drives seem to turn into long ones, and the van does not like going up hills.
We do run into other tourists some. Kiwis as well as other people, although the main tourist season was a couple months ago. The weather has been beautiful. It has been sunny every day. A bit warm for a couple of hours around noon, and cooling off in the evenings.
I should have been more clear about the 793 steps. They were steps up to the lighthouse, because the lighthouse was on a big hill. We didn’t get to actually go in the lighthouse.
Hello, I’m Diego Marin, from La Pinilla, Spain. I live in the antipodes from East Cape, 19.885 km distance. Sorry, I don’t speak english. If you wants to visit my webpage, you can’t to know my village. Greetings
7 Comments »
Comment by josh — May 13, 2007 @ 9:53 am
After watching the sunrise, we packed our bags and headed further down SH35 as far east as it went. We then took an unsealed road 20km further to the East Cape Lighthouse. There were 793 steps up, and then a beautiful view of nothing but ocean. This is the eastern most point in New Zealand, and one of the first places in the world to see the sun come up each day.
The lighthouse was built in the early 20th century. The century before, ten ships wrecked in this area. The black and white thing in the foreground is some land surveying thing. They can be found at most summits in New Zealand.
I can’t remember if my mother still likes lighthouses, or if she is now terrified of them after going to the top of one. Either way, this can be my Mothers’ Day post for her, since at one point she had an affinity for lighthouses. Happy Mothers’ Day Mom!
Are the pictures looking more pixelated than normal to anyone else?
Comment by josh — May 13, 2007 @ 9:53 am
Just for fun, here is the road going to the lighthouse:
Comment by Clara — May 13, 2007 @ 11:32 am
The sunrise was gorgeous. So is the lighthouse. And, no, I’m not noticing anything pixelated. All the colors are lovely. And I found East Cape on the map. What a delightful journey you’re having.
Comment by Peg Moore — May 13, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
Awww, THANKS for the Happy Mother’s Day wish and the lighthouse post!
I still love lighthouses, just as long as I don’t have to climb them! Probably partly because of how much I love wind and waves, and probably partly because of how isolated they often are and the thought of lighthouse keepers actually living out in all that isolation. All just sort of mysterious and wild (in the non-cliche sense). And their architecture, inside and out–each unique and old–so much character. If their “walls could talk.” 793 steps?!?!!!? (Funny, it doesn’t look that tall in the photo, next to Beth and Sheryl [I assume].) So . . . were *you* terrified? (If you weren’t already from that crazy road! Yikes! Glad you included the photo, as it didn’t look like what I was imagining.) Probably a big part of what got to me in NC was that the stairs were the kind you could “see through” (maybe even fall through!) to the bottom. No photo from the top of the lighthouse??? How amazing to think of that being one of the first places on earth to see the sunrise. Just amazing. And to look out on nothing but ocean. OK, I must be in my late-night chatty zone, so I’ll close. Thanks for the posts! XOXOX
Comment by dad — May 13, 2007 @ 11:55 pm
I like the road pic! Looks like quite a drive! Beautiful. Pictures don’t look pixelated to me – must be your connection maybe. The road looks a little “nervous” to drive on, but maybe it wasn’t and was relaxing. What’s the weather like? Cool? Do you run into other tourists along there?
Comment by josh — May 15, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
Glad the pictures aren’t pixelated to anyone else
. By the way, no the roads aren’t relaxing! Short drives seem to turn into long ones, and the van does not like going up hills.
We do run into other tourists some. Kiwis as well as other people, although the main tourist season was a couple months ago. The weather has been beautiful. It has been sunny every day. A bit warm for a couple of hours around noon, and cooling off in the evenings.
I should have been more clear about the 793 steps. They were steps up to the lighthouse, because the lighthouse was on a big hill. We didn’t get to actually go in the lighthouse.
Comment by diego marin — October 9, 2007 @ 7:26 am
Hello, I’m Diego Marin, from La Pinilla, Spain. I live in the antipodes from East Cape, 19.885 km distance. Sorry, I don’t speak english. If you wants to visit my webpage, you can’t to know my village. Greetings
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