In 1865, New Zealand’s
tallest lighthouse 118 feet high was built on this island. On two separate occasions, the Dog Island
Lighthouse has been pictured on postage stamps issued in New Zealand.
So strong are the southern winds
over this island that over a period of time the lighthouse began to take a
lean. At one stage there were three
families living on the island, and they received their needed living supplies
by boat every week or two.
On November 28, 1939, the coastal
vessel Wikouiti ran aground at the island, and the ship radio called nearby ZLB
on the emergency maritime frequency 500 kHz.
Due to this incident, a small communication radio station was
subsequently installed at the lighthouse on Dog Island, under the callsign ZMG.
However, as
the last manned lighthouse in the country, this lighthouse was automated in
1989, and since then the island is uninhabited.
Currently there is no public access to Dog Island, though historic
tourism is under consideration.
(AWR-Wavescan/NWS 337)