Guardians of the Light

Price: NZ$35.75
Home Use Only
Institutions Price POA

Format: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Duration: 45 mins
Year: 2008

The days when lighthouse keepers sat up all night to keep the lights going are over – victims of automation.

In this documentary the men and women who lived on the isolated islands and craggy cliffs of NZ's manned light stations revisit their lights and talk about a lifestyle that ended last century.

Lighthouses have always held a special place in the hearts of New Zealanders. The scores of ship wrecks testify to the difficulties and dangers of navigating our long, exposed coastline. On many a storm-tossed night in a heaving sea, the distant flash of a lighthouse prompted a sailor to mutter a heart-felt prayer of thanks.

For almost 150 years lighthouse keepers tended those lighthouses. They were resourceful, pragmatic and practical individuals – as close to the romantic myth of the pioneer New Zealander as any. This is their story.

Howard Taylor Productions www.htproductions.co.nz

View excerpt from this title at NZ On Screen

SKU 001002

Price: NZ$35.75
Home Use Only
Institutions Price POA