Haast Pass

The Haast Pass (named after the German geologist Julius von Haast, first director of Christchurch Museum), the lowest passage through the Southern Alps (564m), provides a link between the Southland region to the west and the area round Lake Wanaka in the Otago region. The road follows an ancient Maori track to the deposits of greenstone on the west coast. The asphalted road was eventually completed in 1965. It runs through grandiose rugged scenery that is often shrouded in cloud. In winter the road is rarely blocked by snow, since in this area the precipitation is mostly rain. There are a number of attractive rest areas.

The Maori track over the pass was rediscovered by Charles Cameron in 1863 on his way from Dunedin to look for gold on the west coast. Mount Cameron (1763m), on the west side of the pass road, is named after him. Cameron was followed soon afterwards by Julius von Haast.