Waipapa Point Lighthouse
Waipapa Point
A wooden lighthouse at the western end of the Catlins, built after New Zealand's deadliest maritime disaster. Sea lions often appear on the beach.
In 1881, the steamship SS Tararua ran aground and sank here, killing 131 people. It remains New Zealand's worst civilian maritime disaster. The lighthouse was built in 1884 in response, and it is one of the last wooden lighthouses built in New Zealand. Sea lions and fur seals often rest on the beach and in the dunes beside the lighthouse, and visitors sometimes come across them unexpectedly in the grass. Keep your distance. The lighthouse is about 20 km from Curio Bay and marks the gateway into the Catlins for travellers on the Southern Scenic Route from Invercargill.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Slope Point
- Curio Bay Petrified Forest
- Porpoise Bay
- McLean Falls
- Cathedral Caves (Waipati)
- Lake Wilkie
- Florence Hill Lookout
- The Lost Gypsy Gallery