Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Canterbury to the West Coast goldfields, and it was George who first referred to the pass as
'Arthur's Pass'.
After gold was gleaned from the West Coast, a rush saw around 4000 people pour over
Harper Pass between February and April 1865. However, the poor condition of the pass in-
tensified efforts of Christchurch citizens to build a dray road through the mountains. Work
began on the Arthur's Pass road, and by 1866 the first coach drove from one side of the
South Island to the other.
The Otira rail tunnel was completed in 1923. The next year alpine train excursions began,
and became so popular that 1600 day-trippers from Christchurch poured into tiny Arthur's
Pass village in a single day. Alarmed at visitors removing plants and cutting trees for fire-
wood, residents began petitioning the government to turn the area into a national park. In
1929 Arthur's Pass became NZ's third national park, behind Tongariro and Egmont.
A most significant man-made feature of the park is undoubtedly the Otira Viaduct,
opened in 1999. This impressive engineering feat soars above the steep gorge and tight zig-
zags of the old road called the Devils Staircase. Be sure to stop at the lookout if you can.
Environment
The Main Divide marks a sharp contrast in the park's ecology. The western side is very wet,
with Otira averaging 5000mm of rain a year. Bealey Spur, on the eastern side, averages
about 1500mm.
As one might imagine, this has quite some effect on the park's flora. The Westland slopes,
with their higher rainfall and milder temperatures, are covered with lush forests of tall podo-
carp and, higher up, kamahi, rata and totara. On the eastern side is mountain beech forest
with less understorey and drier conditions on the forest floor. The thick bush on the park's
western side also contains more bird life; commonly seen are the tui, bellbird, tomtit, rifle-
man and grey warbler.
The bird to watch out for, literally, is the kea. This highly intelligent and naturally inquis-
itive alpine parrot searches huts for food, or just for amusement. Its most notorious traits are
stealing food or shiny objects (including knives and car keys), dissecting boots and back-
packs, and airing sleeping bags with its strong, curved bill. It's an entertaining bird,
however, sighted often above the tree line and frequently in the village itself. Tempting as it
may be, do not feed the kea as it encourages them to try new foods, often with fatal conse-
quences.
