Arthur's Pass National Park

© Lonely Planet Publications 216 Arthur’s Pass National Park From the moment you step off the train or out of the bus in Arthur’s Pass village, you are surrounded by rugged peaks and an urge to reach the top of them. As the gateway to an immense alpine area, this tiny village hosts climbers, skiers and visitors from all over the world. But mostly it’s visited by trampers, who arrive to do a bit of pass-hopping in Arthur’s Pass National Park. The 9927-sq-km national park, 154km northwest of Christchurch, straddles both sides of the Southern Alps. Two-thirds of it lie on the Canterbury side of the Main Divide and ARTHUR’S PASS ARTHUR’S PASS NATIONAL PARK PARK NATIONAL the rest is in Westland. This rugged and mountainous area, cut by deep valleys, ranges in altitude from 245m at the Taramakau River to 2408m at Mt Murchison. There are many tracks for day walks, especially around the village, but the longer trips are generally routes rather than tracks, and involve following the valleys and then climbing the saddles that link them. Cut tracks are usually provided only when necessary and much of the time you will be boulder hopping along, or in, river beds. Most streams are unbridged. Several tramps are covered in this chapter, including Avalanche Peak, the best one-day tramp in the South Island, with scenery that rivals that of the North Island’s famed Tongariro Crossing. Goat Pass Track is a good choice for trampers new to pass hopping and following routes, while the Waimakariri–Harman Pass Route is a challenging four-day tramp over two high passes. Also covered are Cass–Lagoon Saddles Track and Harper Pass, easier tramps at the edge of the national park. HIGHLIGHTS Enjoying the view of peaks and glaciers from the top of Avalanche Peak ( p220 ) Climbing to Lake Mavis ( p226 ), a beautiful alpine lake off Goat Pass Track Soaking in hot springs along the Waimakariri–Harman Pass Route ( p226 ) and Harper Pass Track ( p230 ) Taking it easy on Cass–Lagoon Saddles Track ( p234 ), the easiest alpine route in the Arthur’s Pass region TELEPHONE CODE: 03 www.softrock.co.nz/apis www.christchurchnz.net www.lonelyplanet.com ARTHUR’S PASS NATIONAL PARK •• History 217 Arthur’s Pass National Park HISTORY Edward Dobson didn’t get a pass na- Maori often passed through the Waimaka- med after him but his son, Arthur, did. In riri basin. Signs of their early occupation March 1864, 23-year-old Arthur Dobson are evident in the Hawdon valley, where and his 18-year-old brother Edward jour- the forest was burnt by hunting parties. The neyed up the Bealey valley and camped highly prized pounamu ( greenstone) on the above the tree line. The next day they west coast lured them occasionally across crossed what is now Arthur’s Pass and de- Arthur’s Pass, and often through the easier scended a short distance into Otira Gorge. route over Harper Pass. Another of Arthur’s brothers, George, was In September 1857, Edward Dobson tra- later commissioned to find the best route velled up the Hurunui River as far as Harper from Canterbury to the west-coast gold NATIONAL PARK PARK NATIONAL Pass, and possibly into the Taramakau val- fields, and it was George who first referred ARTHUR’S PASS ley, before turning back. However, it was to the pass as ‘Arthur’s Pass’. 20-year-old Leonard Harper who, in the Whilst George Dobson was selecting the same year, became the first European to ‘best’ route across the island, two parcels cross the swampy saddle and descend the of gold were sent from Hokitika to Canter- Taramakau River to reach the west coast. bury. A gold rush followed, and in just one 0 40 km Arthur's Pass National Park 0 20 miles SH7 Runanga Stillwater Lake Mt Hochstetter Brunner Hochstetter (1567m) Paroa Mons Sex Mt Barron Shantytown Lake Millia Ahaura (1806m) (1835m) Lake Mt Ajax Haupiri (1832m) Moana Kopara Lady 5 Lake Mt Newcombe Lake Sumner River Lake (1337m) Forest Park Waiau Brunner Kangaroo Kumara Lake Paddock Hill 4 (1135m) Lake Poerua Mt Longfellow Poerua Mt Tuke SH73 3 Mt Alexander Lake (1898m) Inchbonnie (1723m) Taramakau (1958m) Sumner Lake River Harper Pass Sheppard Jacksons (963m) Lake Hurunui Wainihinihi Taylor Mt Pfeifer (1703m) Otira River SH73 Otira Arthur's Pass Tunnel National Park Mt Rolleston Arthur's Pass (2272m) (924m) Poulter Avalanche Peak Arthur's Pass (1833m) 1 kariri River River Waima 2 Bealey Spur Cass Mt Misery (1760m) Craigieburn Craigieburn Forest Park Lake Pearson 6 P u k e t e r a k i R a n g e River Mt Enys Harper (2195m) Staircase Lake Coleridge Arthur's Pass National Park – Maps Oxford R a n g e Springfield 1 Arthur's Pass Village Cust p219 Rakaia SH73 2 Arthur's Pass National Park Tramps pp222–3 C r a i g i e b u r n Porters Pass (945m) 3 Harper Pass (Map 1) p231 River 4 Harper Pass (Map 2) p233 See West Coast Map (p239) 5Sheffield Harper Pass (Map 3) p234 6 Cass-Lagoon Saddles Track p236.

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