Stop at Arthur's Pass - don't just pass through!
Dorothy - 16/08/02

Visitors at Arthur's Pass can explore its history and learn about Arthur's Pass National Park at the excellent Department of Conservation (DOC) Visitor Information Centre or choose among the walks, short or long, easy or challenging. If you are of average fitness walk up to the Punchbowl Falls, or along the Bridal Veil Falls track. In winter there is skiing at Temple Basin. You may enjoy quiet time in the interdenominational chapel and view a waterfall through the window.

Travelling to Arthur's Pass
By road on State Highway 73 it is some 150 km from Christchurch to Arthur's Pass and 90 km to Greymouth.

The TranzAlpine train travels from Christchurch to Greymouth and back each day. Passengers who leave the train at Arthur's Pass can have nearly five hours there before catching the train on its return.

History of Arthur's Pass
Before 1864 Maori travelled through the Bealey and Otira valleys on their journeys to Westland in search of greenstone though they chose a less steep route, often through the Harper Pass, for the return journey. Arthur's Pass is 920 metres above sea level, and there is a steep descent to Otira in the west.

Arthur's Pass is named after Arthur Dudley Dobson, an explorer/surveyor who discovered the pass in 1864. His brother, George Dobson, was asked to recommend the best route across the Southern Alps, and stated that "Arthur's pass is the best route", which is how the Pass got its name. This is the only example of an apostrophe used in a place name in New Zealand.

In 1865 a tent camp was set up for surveyors to prepare for the construction of the road to the West Coast where gold had been discovered in 1864.

In 1866 the road was opened for coach traffic, and Cobb and Co coaches began to take passengers and mail over this hazardous road. The coaches set out from Christchurch, crossing the unbridged Waimakariri River, following the Bealey River up to the Arthur's Pass Village, climbing to the top of the Pass, descending through the Otira Gorge to the village of Otira, and then continuing to Hokitika. The journey took thirty six hours with an overnight stop at Bealey.

In 1901 the Arthur's Pass National Park was established on the suggestion of Dr Leonard Cockayne. 72,000 hectares around the headwaters of the Waimakariri, Arthur's Pass and Otira were reserved for national park purposes under the provisions of the Land Act 1892. Further areas were added in the 1930s and in 1950 and with the passing of the New Zealand National Parks Act 1952 received funding to emply staff and some facilities for the public. Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson lived until 1934 and was a member of the first board appointed in 1929 to control the Park. It was New Zealand's third National Park and now encompasses an area of 114.000 hectares.

The railway and the Otira Tunnel
In 1883 a Royal Commission had decided that the Arthur's Pass route was the best for the railway to link the east and west coasts. The New Zealand Midland Railway Company was formed to build the railway from Springfield in the east to Brunnerton in the west. The engineering difficulties were so great that the company could not complete its contract and the Government took over the construction of the railway. The railway from Christchurch finally reached Arthur's Pass in 1915.

In 1900 a committee of engineers recommended that the best way to link Arthur's Pass to Otira was by a tunnel with the eastern terminal in the valley of the Bealey River (2,435 feet above sea level) and the western terminal in the valley of the Rolleston River (1585 feet above sea level). This meant a fall of 850 feet from east to west - a grade of 1 in 33. Planning continued until 1907 and the accuracy of those plans was demonstrated by the final results.

Work began at the Otira end in 1908, but the private firm of contractors like the Midland Railway Company found that they could not finish the work at the tender price of nearly £600,000 and once again the Government took over the contract. The Public Works Department took over the work and despite the delays caused by shortages of skilled workers and materials during World War I the workers from east and west were finally able to shake hands on 20 July, 1918. It was then found that the difference between the actual tunnel length of five and a quarter miles, and what had been calculated was only 36 inches, the difference in level was only 1.125 inches, and the difference in direction was only 0.75 inches. The planners and tunnel gangs had done their job with impressive skill.

Problems during the construction of the tunnel
Engineers had to overcome a range of problems during the construction of the tunnel.

The rock was so hard that it was difficult to harden the drill bits enough for them to be used without breaking.

Timbering was needed to prevent rock falls during the use of explosives. Only one fatal accident occurred during the years of construction.

The explosives produced fine stone dust so a constant stream of water had to be used to wash the drilling sites clear of dust so that the workers did not breathe it in.

Ventilation in the tunnel was ensured by suction of impure air from the work site through a sixteen inch steel pipe.

Water had to be pumped out on the eastern side of the tunnel, which slowed progress from that side. A power supply for the pumps was obtained by the construction of a powerhouse harnessing the water from the Devil's Punchbowl waterfall - 131 metres high.

Devil's Punchbowl Falls

As the water supply is not constant because of freezing temperatures in the winter and low stream levels in the summer the engineers decided to use coal and build steel turbines to produce the electricity at Otira for the engines that were used to haul trains through the tunnel.

Tunnel opening
The triumphant opening of the tunnel took place on 4 August, 1923, and since then travel between Canterbury and the West Coast has increased dramatically.

Conditions of hardship for the tunnelling gangs
The work of the engineers has been highly praised but special praise should also be given to those who worked on the railway or the tunnel. Visit Arthur's Pass on a sunny day and it is difficult to picture the hardships of those who worked there, but in the very cold winters and the damp climate life for the workers and their families must have been very difficult. For fifteen years they endured heavy snowfalls, violent winds and freezing temperatures. The Pass runs from north to south and in the winter the sun does not come over the mountains to the east until late morning and dips behind the mountains to the west early in the afternoon. The huts built for workers on the Bealey flat were unlined and offered little protection from the winters.

Cottages at Arthur's Pass - painting by Bill Moore

The cottages built for families offered better protection. Some still remain, used as permanent or holiday homes, and are an attractive reminder of a past era. They caught the eye of New Zealand painter, Bill Moore.

Unmarried workers ate their meals in the dining hall, After the tunnel was completed it was made into a guesthouse in 1923 by Guy Butler, and in 1969 was developed as an Outdoor Education Centre to be used by school groups.

Outdoor Education Centre

Electric engines phased out
When steam locomotives were replaced by Diesel locomotives these could travel in the tunnel and the electric engines were phased out. The photograph below shows a passenger train with a Diesel locomotive coming out of the Otira tunnel, crossing the Bealey River and approaching the Arthur's Pass station.

Train leaving the Otira tunnel

Early visitors to Arthur's Pass
In 1911 Will Kennedy with a group of other teachers built the first private hut at the Pass. He invited there groups of people, especially some of his pupils who would not otherwise have had an opportunity to visit and enjoy the mountains.

One group of teachers was photographed at the portal of the tunnel in 1926.

Group photographed in front of the tunnel portal in 1926 Album given by pupil teachers to R. B. Clarke, the headmaster of Addington school in 1926

In 1924 day train excursions made the area more accessible to many people and the number of visitors greatly increased. For instance in 1931 alone, 7,162 people travelled on these excursions.

Arthur's Pass Village Historic Walk
A pamphlet for this walk can be obtained at the Visitor Information Centre. It gives a concise history of the village, takes you to ten sites with illustrated plaques and text, many related to the time of the building of the tunnel, and includes a list of sources for further information.

What to do around Arthur's Pass Village
Some of the half day walks
The most popular walk is to the Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall. Allow an hour, plus time for photography.
The Bridal Veil walk runs through beech forest and it is usual to return to the village by road. This walk takes 45 minutes each way.
To walk to the top of the Pass - 4 km - allow 45 minutes each way. This walk takes you to the Dobson memorial set near the boundary between Canterbury and Westland.

The Arthur Dudley Dobson Memorial

At the Dobson Nature Walk at the top of the pass you can choose between the short loop track and a longer track ending at the Otira Valley car park.

Longer walks
Information on day walks and those requiring an overnight stay in a hut and weather forecasts are available at the DOC Visitor Information Centre. Remember to fill in the intentions book before setting out on one of the longer walks.

Skiing
Skiing was first tried on a lawn in the village in 1927 and the following year Oscar Coberger, a German ski instructor from the Hermitage, settled at Arthur's Pass in living-quarters-cum-sports depot.

Grace Butler, in her book Jack's Hut describes his first skiing demonstration. He was an expert in the Alpine or downhill style of skiing with high-speed turns and he gave a demonstration on the Bealey Glacier - a large glacier at that time. Spectators were captivated.

Earthquakes hit the Pass on 11 March 1929 and again on 17 June in the same year (the Murchison Earthquake), but skiers' enthusiasm persisted and in September 1929 the Christchurch Ski Club was formed. Oscar Coberger remained at the Pass and supported the skiing industry as a coach and a supplier of ski equipment.

The skifield and a hut to accommodate sixteen at Temple Basin were opened for the 1933 season and the accommodation was expanded till it took thirty four . In 1954 it was sold to the Canterbury University College Ski Club and a further hut was added. Two clubs now occupy the field - the Temple Basin Ski Club and the Canterbury University Winter Sports Club.

Temple Basin skifield has now become a popular place for snowboarding and has a 430m drop. It is floodlit for night skiing and has a number of runs to suit different levels of ability.

Other skifields have been established along the road from Christchurch to the Pass - Porter Heights, Craigieburn Valley, Mount Cheesman, Broken River and Mount Olympus.

Arthur's Pass Store

Accommodation and meals
There is a choice of accommodation - motels, a YHA hostel, bed and breakfast, backpackers and some bunkroom beds at the Outdoor Education Centre if it is not fully booked by school groups. Accommodation is in demand for school groups so it would be wise to book ahead, especially in summer.

Two shops sell basic food supplies, there is one bottle store, a licensed cafe, and two restaurants.

Oscar's Haus (Click here for a larger version)

Interdenominational Chapel
The chapel was built with voluntary contributions and opened in 1956. It is sited on the bank of Avalanche Creek and the view from the front window is of the bush and a waterfall to the west of the chapel. Services are sometimes held, mainly at Easter and in the Christmas holiday period. It is a beautiful place for a period of quietness.

The Chapel and its bell

Arthur's Pass - a place for all seasons
Of course as the Pass is in a mountain area there is a mountain climate with a lot of rain, but the place is beautiful in all weathers. The waterfalls are more abundant on wet days. The icicles in winter frost are spectacular. In winter you can ski or explore the village or spend time in the DOC Visitor Information Centre. The Centre has displays and an audio visual on the history, wildlife, geography
and geology of the Park.

Spring brings full rivers and wild flowers and from December to April walking and kayaking, fishing and discovering nature are at their best.

All year round visitors are enchanted by the antics of New Zealand's high country parrot, the kea. It is important that you do not feed the kea. These inquisitive birds damage property. If encouraged near your car their next meal may be the rubber around your car windows.

Don't just pass through the Pass. Stop at this place for all seasons.

The photos for this article were supplied by Roger Morris.

Read about the road from Arthur's Pass to Otira in the next issue of NZine.