Castlepoint

Castlepoint is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Castlepoint is part of the larger Whareama statistical area. Castlepoint had a population of 60 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 3 people (5.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 18 people (42.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 30 males and 27 females in 27 dwellings. The median age was 54.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 6 people (10.0%) aged under 15 years, 9 (15.0%) aged 15 to 29, 24 (40.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 21 (35.0%) aged 65 or older. ==Marae==

The local Whakataki marae is affiliated with the Ngāti Kahungunu hapū of Te Hika a Pāpāuma ki Wairarapa. Its wharenui burned down 1960. == Annual horse races ==

Remote from other settlements Castlepoint's beach has been home since 1872 to an historic annual horse race meeting when "local station hands rode on farm hacks competing for bottles of rum and any stray coins". == Lighthouse ==

The Castle Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse near the village of Castlepoint in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand. In the early days of the 20th century Castle Point was one of the few lighthouses with easy access to a school. The Creamer family came there in 1918 or 1919 and the eldest son Eric had to complete five years of education in three years, so that he could go on to secondary school, there having been little education in previous locations where the family had been stationed. This aspect of the Keeper's lives seems to have been overlooked by the Marine Department. The light was built in 1913 and was originally fuelled by oil. In 1954 the oil lamp was replaced with an electric one powered by a local diesel generator. This was subsequently replaced by a connection to the mains grid in 1961. The lighthouse, is popular with holiday makers and the lighthouse itself is sometimes referred to as "The Holiday Light". Completed on 12 January 1913, it was one of the last staffed lights built in New Zealand, but has been fully automated since 1988 and is now managed from a central control room in Wellington. It is a popular tourist attraction for holidaymakers to the area, although it is not open to the public. The lighthouse is built out of steel sheets riveted together. This is an unusual method of construction for a lighthouse and the only one so built in New Zealand. At sea, the light can be seen away, and was used by sailors coming from South America to establish a point of reference when making for Wellington Harbour. A camera set up at the top of an outcrop looking down on the lighthouse gives people a chance to see it on live feed castlepointlighthouse.com. In December 2017, the lighthouse was controversially installed with multi-colour LED up-lights which would light the exterior of the lighthouse all year round at a cost of $35,000. Many Wairarapa region residents feel the lights are 'gaudy' and a source of unnecessary light pollution. ==Climate==

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