Arthur's Pass is the central one of the
three road crossings of the Southern Alps. The others are Lewis Pass, some 100
km to the north and Haast Pass, 230km to the south.
Arthur's Pass is also the name of a town on the crossing which is 95km from Greymouth and 140km from Christchurch. Arthur's Pass is also the National Park by the same name which is very popular for tramping/hiking, skiing and mountaineering. The road and its environs are spectacular and make the crossing on a bike a memorable but arduous journey.
Although the most direct access to Arthur's
Pass from the West Coast is via SH73 up the Taramakau River Valley, there is an
alternative route via Lake Brunner and this is an attractive option for
cyclists.
The Lake Brunner option involves an
overnight stop at the small rather cute township of Moana on the shore of Lake
Brunner. This is a good days ride from Greymouth, along a lightly trafficked
road that follows much the same route as the trans alpine railway. The countryside is river valley with some
dairy farms, scrub country and pine forest. Facilities at Moana include a
camping ground, two pubs and a very small convenience store.
From Moana the route to Arthur's Pass joins
SH73 at Jacksons on the Taramakau River where there is a camping ground, a pub
and very little else. SH73 continues up the main river valley for a while
before leaving this and branching off up the Otira River to the tiny settlement
of Otira. This is where road leaves the valley and the serious climb to the
pass begins. Steep grades on a winding road that includes an overhead avalanche
chute across the road, and then the impressive 500 metre long Otira Viaduct.
This takes you high above unstable scree
slopes below and up into kea country. The kea is a mischievous New Zealand
native parrot that lives in the high country and delights in stripping rubber
window seals from parked cars and pecking day packs, bike seats and panniers
given the opportunity.
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| Keas at work |
The pass is eventually reached (at 920 metres above sea
level) and then its downhill to your overnight stop at Arthur's Pass Village or
the Bealey Hotel, a few km further on.
The next day’s ride passes through open
rolling alpine country for the first 65 km. This is a tussock landscape with
accompanying rivers and lakes, and has some spectacular limestone outcrops and
formations. Some of this land is still being farmed as high country sheep stations.
There is a café at Flock Hill which is worth stopping at because beyond this is
a section that has the steepest climb of the day.
When Porters Pass (at 950 metres) is
reached, the descent to the Canterbury Plains begins. It’s downhill all the way
19km to Springfield for the nights rest at the Springfield Hotel.
The next day the road descends gradually to
the Canterbury Plains and across these on long straight stretches of road all
the way to Christchurch.
