Arthur's Pass

Arthur's Pass straddles the Main Divide (the midline of the Alps) and is the major mid-island corridor to the West Coast. The route was first surveyed by Arthur Dudley Dobson during the 1860s as European settlers looked for a quick way through the mountains. The discovery of gold on the West Coast spurred the construction of a road, which was started in 1865. The coach trip from Christchurch was initially a 36-hour haul over a rough track, through rocky riverbeds and where the travelers had to get out and walk the steepest bits. When the railway arrived, in 1923, the pass's skiing and hiking opportunities came to the fore, and the TranzAlpine train service now offers a supreme way to see this rugged area without getting your shoes dirty.