Arthur's Pass (mountain pass)
| Arthur's Pass | |
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Arthur Dudley Dobson memorial
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| Elevation | 920 m (3,018 ft) |
| Traversed by | New Zealand State Highway 73 |
| Location | New Zealand |
| Range | Southern Alps |
| Coordinates | 42°54′11.272″S 171°33′42.221″E / 42.90313111°S 171.56172806°E |
Arthur's Pass (el. 920 metres or 3,020 feet) is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. It marks part of the boundary between the West Coast and Canterbury regions, 140 km from Christchurch and 95 km from Greymouth. The pass lies in a saddle between the valleys of the Otira River, a tributary of the Taramakau, in the west and the Bealey River in the east. Arthur's Pass lies on the border of the Selwyn and Westland districts.
A hamlet of the same name (Arthur's Pass) is located about 5 km south of the mountain pass.
The pass is named after Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson (1841–1934), who led the first party of Europeans across the pass in 1864. In 1863, Dobson went to the mostly unexplored West Coast of the South Island for seven months of survey work. His area of work extended from the Grey River to Abut Head, and inland up to the Main Divide. His brother Edward, meanwhile, was clearing a rough track over Harper Pass. Arthur Dobson returned to Christchurch and reported his findings to the chief curveyor, Thomas Cass.
Cass then commissioned Arthur Dobson in 1864 to find out whether there is a suitable pass from the Waimakariri watershed to the West Coast. George and Arthur Dobson set out in March 1864, later to be joined by their brother Edward at Craigieburn. While George surveyed road lines there, Edward and Arthur proceeded to explore the high country. On the advice of West Coast Māori chief Tarapuhi, they found a pass that steeply descended to what became known as Otira; the route had long been used by Māori for trading pounamu. Arthur prepared a report, which included a sketch of the unnamed pass, and presented it to Cass.
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