Haast Pass - Southern Alps, Mount Aspiring National Park, New Zealand
Posted by: 
denben
S 44° 02.390 E 169° 22.788
59G E 370188 N 5122427
Haast Pass is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand within Mount Aspiring National Park.
Waymark Code: WMN9TZ
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 01/27/2015
Views: 4
Haast Pass is one of the three passes where a road crosses over the Southern Alps, the other two being Lewis Pass and Arthur's Pass. It is named for Julius von Haast, a 19th-century explorer who was also geologist for the Provincial government of Canterbury.
The road through Haast Pass (State Highway 6) was converted from a rough track to a formed road in 1966 and finally received a complete tarmac surface by 1995. The drive from Wanaka to the West Coast passes through spectacular scenery. This route was a traditional pathway for Maori journeying west in search of pounamu (greenstone or jade). At the Gates of Haast gorge, many travellers stop to photograph the wild water as it crashes over the river boulders.
The Haast Pass rises to a height of 562 metres above sea level at the saddle between the valleys of the Haast and Makarora Rivers. As such, it is the lowest of the passes traversing the Southern Alps. The Haast Pass road is devoid of any settlements between Haast and Makarora. The road passes through predominantly unmodified beech forest. The pass itself is within the limits of Mount Aspiring National Park and forms part of the boundary between Otago and the West Coast.
The coordinates were taken at the Gates of Haast bridge which spans over the Gates of Haast gorge. There is a car park at 200 m from the bridge on the southeast side.
Sources: Wikipedia (
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