Tiritiri lighthouse, built in 1864, is one of a few surviving lighthouses in New Zealand; it is also one of the oldest. The cast iron used to build it was made in Britain, brought out by ship, and bolted together on site. It was fitted with the best lighting technology of its time and has been continually updated. It was solar powered in 1990 and fitted with a quartz iodine lamp - replacing the Xenon lamp of 11 million candlepower fitted in 1956. The adjacent cottages were formerly for lighthouse keepers but are now used by conservation staff. The island is now an important bird sanctuary.