Entry Date: 21.02.2020, at 15:15:04 hrs (local)

Whangarei - Whangarei

Arthur´s Pass

Image

PRID: 11878
LegID: 323
LegNo: 71
Latitude: S035°50.27'
Longitude: E174°24.00'
Day#: 934
Log (Total): 51195 nm
Arthur´s Pass is the tallest elevation of Highway 73 with 920 meters.

Before the middle of the 19 century only very few Maoris were crossing through the wilderness of the Southern Alps between the Est and West coast. When the gold-rush started at the West coast in 1863 endless gold seekers, sheep and cattle, pack horses started to cross the muddy and slippery pass to the western coast of the island. Soon a proper road was necessary.

Arthur´s father Edward Dobson Senior decided, that a road had to be build and cut through the valley. With 1000 men the road was finished in 1865. The conditions had been very rough with cold winter, lots of rain and storm. The workers lived in a little camp, which later was developed to Arthur´s Pass Village.

Since 1929 it became interesting for tourism and slowly changed to a tourist destination with lots of hiking trails, spectacular waterfalls and a skiing area.