Tiritiri lighthouse - built in 1864 is one of a few surviving lighthouse settlements in New Zealand. it is also one of the oldest. The cast iron used to build it was made in Britain brought out by ship and bolted together on site. It was fitted with the best lighting technology if its time and has been continually updated. It was solar powered in 1990 and fitted with a quartz iodine lamp - replacing the Xenon lamp of 11 million candlepower fitted in 1956. The adjacent cottages were formely for lighthouse keepers but are now used by conservation staff. The island is now an important bird sancturay.