Castlepoint Lighthouse

Castlepoint is an unusual bit of coast: a curving reef runs out from the shore and hooks back, enclosing a shallow lagoon, and the lighthouse of 1913 stands at the seaward end of it, reached by a boardwalk and steps across the reef. Behind the lagoon rises Castle Rock, a 162-metre limestone bluff that gave the place its European name when Cook passed in 1770, with a track to the top that takes about an hour and a half return and is steep and exposed near the summit. The reef itself is full of fossil shells, and the surf breaks over its outer edge with real force. This is the important warning: waves sweep the reef and the rocks, and the sea here is unpredictable rather than merely rough. The lagoon is the safe swimming water. Castlepoint holds a beach horse race meeting each March.

What to look for

• The lighthouse - 1913, at the seaward end of the reef.
• The lagoon - enclosed by the reef, and the safe swimming water.
• Castle Rock - the 162-metre bluff, an hour and a half return.
• The fossil reef - shells embedded in the limestone underfoot.

When to go

October to April. Check the swell - the reef walk is closed off or dangerous in heavy seas. The March horse racing on the beach is a local fixture.

Practical notes

Waves sweep the reef; do not go out in swell and never turn your back on the sea. The Castle Rock track is steep and exposed near the top. Castlepoint is small with few services.

Nearby

Masterton and the Wairarapa towns are inland; Riversdale Beach is south.