Image of the Week: 12 March - 18 March
12 March 2018
Arthur's Pass - the story
Arthur's pass was 'discovered' (crossed for the first time by a European) by surveyor Arthur Dudley Dobson in 1864, with the help of Tarapuhi the West Coast Chief.
The pass was known to Māori who used it for transporting pounamu (jade) across the Southern Alps.
The gold rush in 1865 motivated some businessmen to offer £200 (equivalent to $22,000 in 2016) to anyone who can find the best route from Canterbury to the West Coast. Arthur’s pass was found to be the most suitable route for a direct crossing.
In July 1866, the newly named Arthur’s Pass was opened to coach traffic.
It ran over Porters Pass to Cass, up to Waimakariri Valley to Bealey.
Read more about the story at https://nzhistory.govt.nz/arthurs-pass-discovered.
Come and explore our published, photographs and archives collections about Arthur Dobson, Arthur’s Pass and West Coast at Macmillan Brown Library.
Images in this week's Image of the Week Gallery:
- Coach on Arthurs Pass route
Newton, H.E., n.d., Coach on Arthurs Pass route, A.C. Graham photographs (MB1065, Ref 18853). Macmillan Brown Library, Christchurch, New Zealand.
See more about this photograph in Kā kohika - Coach on Arthurs Pass route
Newton, H.E., n.d., Coach on Arthurs Pass route, A.C. Graham photographs (MB1065, Ref 18789). Macmillan Brown Library, Christchurch, New Zealand.
See more about this photograph in Kā kohika - Bealey River - West Coast Road
Burton, n.d., Bealey River – West Coast Road, Burton Brothers Collection (MB1459, Ref 2889). Macmillan Brown Library, Christchurch, New Zealand.
See more about this photograph in Kā kohika - Bealey River - West Coast River
Burton, n.d., Otira Gorge, West Coast Road, Burton Brothers Collection (MB1459, Ref 2881). Macmillan Brown Library, Christchurch, New Zealand.
See more about this photograph in Kā kohika
Information in this article from:
'Arthur's Pass 'discovered'', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/arthurs-pass-discovered, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 8-Dec-2016
Macmillan Brown Library - Te Puna Rakahau o Macmillan Brown
Phone: +64 3 369 4499 (extn 94499)
Email:macbrown@libr.canterbury.ac.nz
What to read next:
Image of the week: 7 - 13 January 2019
Happy New Year! We wish you all the best for 2019!
Image of the Week: 24 - 30 December 2018
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!