The Lighthouse is an artwork by Michael Parekōwhai. Its exterior takes the form of a full-scale 1950s family home, while the interior features a light installation alongside a sculpture of Captain Cook titled The English Channel. The structure sits on a wooden jetty that appears to float on Queens Wharf. Although the public cannot enter the work, visitors can explore it by looking through its windows and doors, and by climbing the staircase to the second storey.
Inside The Lighthouse: Tū Whenua-a-Kura, colour bursts from neon light installations depicting Southern Hemisphere star constellations. These illuminate glossy walls and scatter reflections across the sculpture of the eighteenth-century British explorer Captain Cook. The building rests on a low timber jetty, reinforcing its maritime associations.
Shutters frame the windows — an architectural departure from traditional state houses — and feature chevron patterns referencing both the tukutuku panels of Māori meeting houses and common warning signage. The interior floor is made from native timber, evoking the flooring of original state houses as well as the decks of the ships that brought Europeans to Aotearoa.
Logging Requirements:
Your task to be able to log this geocache is very simple, just take a photo of yourself, your GPS or a personal item, or something with your geocaching name on with the Captain Cook statue through a window and post it with your log to prove you were there.
Anytime of day, however the piece really comes to life at night
Happy geocaching.
Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.