Timaru - Jack's Point
Where the Land Meets the Sea
Jack’s Point captures the rugged beauty of Timaru’s coastline, where land, water, and sky come together.
The Tuhawaiki Point Lighthouse was constructed on site in 1903, being originally resided on Somes Island in 1866. It has an elevation of 29 metres above sea level, and the tower height is 9 metres.
Tuhawaiki Point, or Jacks point, gets its name from Tūhawaiki, often known as Hone Tūhawaiki, Jack Tūhawaiki, or by his nickname of “Bloody Jack”, a chief of the Ngāi Tahu Māori iwi in the southern part of the South Island.
In 1903, the tower was fitted with an incandescent light worked by oil vapour at high pressure. It had a sole keeper, who lived on station until the light station was fully automated in 1930. A 100-watt tungsten halogen bulb replaced it and inn January 2020, Tuhawaiki (Jacks) Point was solarized with mains power disconnected.