Lewis Pass

100km west of Hanmer Springs Highway 7 goes over the Lewis Pass (907m). The mountain pass road, which links the Canterbury region with the northwest coast of the South Island, was completed in 1937. This route was well known to the Maori tribes of the region, who used it on their way to the greenstone deposits in the rivers on the west coast. Cannibal Gorge, near the summit of the pass, recalls the days when the Maori caravans making for the west coast took slaves with them as carriers; then on the way back, it is said, the slaves were killed and eaten.

A number of short trails start from the summit of the pass (e.g. Tarn Nature Walk, Lewis Pass Lookout Walk). The St James Track (70km) over the Ada Pass and Anne Saddle takes 5 days.