12-05-2025
Concerns raised about Cave Rock cross lights
Concerns have been raised by some residents about the schedule, frequency, brightness and configuration of the Tuawera Cave Rock lights. Photo: Christchurch City Council
Consultation has opened on Sumner's Cave Rock cross lights after residents raised concerns about their brightness, configuration and frequency.
The Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote Community Board is now seeking public feedback on the issues created by the lights, which were installed on the former Christchurch signal station mast in December 2021.
The board wants the community to tell it how the daily lighting hours should be managed and how frequently they should be lit.
The lights are currently turned on between dusk and 11pm each day, except during Matariki or when a request is made for them to be switched off temporarily.
The mast was lit for the first time to mark the coronation of King George VI in May 1937. More than 500 bulbs were lit, including those along the foreshore and pier. Photo: Supplied via Christchurch City Council
The mast was erected in 1864 to signal the state of the bar to coastal ships entering or leaving the Ihutai Avon Heathcote Estuary. Black, ball-shaped markers were used to indicate the conditions.
It was lit for the first time in May 1937 to mark the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1953, and later as a community tradition for Easter, Anzac Day, Christmas and other significant national events such as VE Day.
In 1961 the Sumner Lifeboat Institute took over the signal station as a lifeboat control tower and operated the lights intermittently for more than 30 years.
After the signal house was damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes and repaired in 2016, a new deed was established in 2020 with Breakfree Foundation, allowing them to install, own and operate the lights. Funds were raised by the community and the solar powered lights were installed in 2021.
