Timaru's famous Blackett Lighthouse doesn't often have its doors open, but while filming for Frank Films we had a council staff member open it up for us for filming. Photos by Roselyn Fauth 2022
Timaru’s famous Blackett Lighthouse doesn’t often have its doors open, but we were lucky enough to be filming with Frank Films when a friendly council staff member gave us access inside. It felt like stepping into a piece of our past – and a part of Timaru’s story that’s often admired from a distance but rarely experienced up close.
Our family grew up just across the road from the lighthouse. It was the backdrop to countless childhood memories – games on the grass, sunsets over the bay, the rhythmic pulse of the waves below. For us, the lighthouse isn’t just a relic. It’s part of the landscape of our lives, a place woven into who we are and where we’re from. Every time we pass it, there’s a sense of quiet familiarity and pride. It’s iconic – not just to the coast – but to the spirit of Timaru.
What makes it even more special now is the way its legacy continues to inspire. The lighthouse was a major influence in the CPlay playground design, which is just down the road. The stories behind it – the push and pull of port politics, the pressure to improve harbour safety and efficiency – all fed into the creative process. For Timaru to thrive as a working port, changes had to be made, and the lighthouse stood as a symbol of that vision and transformation. Now, those themes are brought to life in a playground where a new generation plays, explores and imagines, just as we did.
Being able to step inside the lighthouse, even just for a short time, reminded me how places carry meaning – not just through their history, but through the way they anchor our lives. The lighthouse has always stood strong, quietly watching over Timaru. I’m glad we got to share its story again.
Blackett’s Lighthouse is one of Timaru’s most recognisable landmarks, perched on the edge of the cliffs near Benvenue Avenue. Its origins trace back to the late nineteenth century, when the growing port town faced serious challenges around maritime safety. The harbour was busy and treacherous, and the need for a permanent light to guide ships was becoming urgent.
The lighthouse was designed by John Blackett, the Colonial Marine Engineer at the time. Blackett was responsible for many of New Zealand’s coastal lights, and his designs followed a distinctive timber-framed construction, well-suited to local conditions. The Timaru light was first lit in 1878, originally located at Number 7 The Terrace, where it helped mark the approach to the port below. At the time, the lamp was fuelled by kerosene. It later switched to gas in 1890, and finally to electricity in 1920.
As the town and port evolved, so did the lighthouse. In 1980, after the Harbour Board sold the land it stood on, the lighthouse was moved to Maori Park near Benvenue Avenue, to sit alongside the council’s tennis centre. It remained there until 2010, when it was relocated once again to make way for the new Caroline Bay Aquatic Centre. Today it still stands at Maori Park, well maintained and preserved as a historical feature of the city.
The lighthouse is often admired from afar, but it is rarely open to the public. Though no longer operational, it remains a powerful symbol of Timaru’s maritime past. It tells the story of the town’s development, the push for a safer and more efficient port, and the engineers and harbour workers who helped shape the city’s future.
From shipwrecks and storms to modern urban growth, the lighthouse has quietly watched it all unfold. It remains one of the oldest surviving structures in the area connected to the port, and a reminder of the challenges early settlers and seafarers faced in building a viable and enduring harbour town.
