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Otago Westland border - Top of the Haast Pass.1940`s
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DescriptionOtago Westland border - Top of the Haast Pass
V C Browne and Son ( see link below)Date of Photo1940`sMap[1] External LinkV C Browne and SonContributorHeather Newby
V C Browne and Son ( see link below)Date of Photo1940`sMap[1] External LinkV C Browne and SonContributorHeather Newby
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Location (city or town)HaastLandmark (Place)Haast PassEventOtago Westland border - Top of the Haast Pass.1940`s
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Date Created23rd July 2020CommentsJulian Evans
Norma Holyoake, wife of Prime Minister Keith Holyoake, cut the ribbon to open the final section of the Haast road at Knights Point on 6 November 1965. The ceremony, held in heavy rain, was something of an anticlimax.
Brenda Monk
Julian Evans yes, you are absolutely right. I was there as a 10 year old, and was so impressed with the fine array of umbrellas. (I had never seen an umbrella before!)
Julian Evans
Brenda Monk I was 8. My Grandfather attended. He was a miner from Greymouth. Remember him telling me about it.
Brenda Monk
Julian Evans does not seem that long ago!!
Graeme Pierson
The road from Wanaka to Haast was opened years before the rod went north from Haast.
Heather Newby
badge icon
thanks
Allan W Gray
I went over it 1960-1
i went over it in 1966.. It was just before I started high school
Duncan Hamilton
Looks like an early Ford Prefect from 1953 on
Dad had a Ford Prefect.. we went a lot of places in that
Jean Mehrtens
Duncan Hamilton it says 1940’s - ?
Duncan Hamilton
Jean Mehrtens someone took a punt with the date I think. I might have the model wrong but that doesn't look like a 40s car
Garry Jackson
Duncan Hamilton Car looks a bit like a late 30s Austin 10.
David Verrall
I was told that Mrs Betty Eggeling was the first woman to drive from Haast to Wanaka, allegedly in a Landrover. Can't confirm this, someone might tho!
Heather Newby
badge icon
interesting.. thanks
Stuart McMillan
Heather Newby on google it says 6th November 1965
Duncan Hamilton
My bad, seems they started production in 1939. Shoulda googled it before posting
Noel Marley
1933/39 Austin Light Twelve.
George Brown
66' was the final connection to the glaciers and north from HAAST .The road to Wanaka Cromwell was open for years before that .
Jean Mehrtens
Funny - I did think Austin something when I first saw it
Phil Millar
1966 when the road opened!
Barry Caldwell
This is the Otago -Haast road, not the road up the Coast opened in 66.
JenDick Stevens
its a austin 1938
Lisa Molloy
Austin, not perfect, thanks I was sure it was a prefect, but I'm no expert and a little younger
Wendy Bruce
Mr Wikipedia says “The road through Haast Pass (State Highway 6) was converted from a rough track to a formed road in 1966 and received a complete chipseal surface by 1995”
It was definitely a dirt road still when I lived at Carters in the mid 70’s
Brenda Monk
Wendy Bruce there you go Mr Wikipedia made a mistake!
Graham Ruston
Wendy Bruce hello wendy
Margaret Mckee
We left Haast about 1958 and the road to Wanaka opened after that. Would not have been bridges back then
Peter Leversedge
I along with two friends drove my 51' Ford Custom ( Twin Spinner ) from Cromwell to Hasst at Easter 1962. At the time the Hasst bridge was under construction
Brenda Monk
The road through from Central Otago to Haast opened in 1960, then from Haast to Paringa in November 1965. We had a 50th Anniversary celebration of the opening in November 2015.
Brenda Monk
Mr Wikipedia is wrong!
Donald Pearson
Austin 10 1937/ 38.
Mawson N Kay Shaw
I think my Father had one of these cars, but it could have been a Ford 10, I was a little baby then.
Roger Strong
1965 I think....
Pat Meredith
In 1958 3 friends, David Coulter, Rex Smith, Ray Leach and myself, road pushbikes from Christchurch to Makarora (head of Lake Wanaka) David an I got to the top of the pass late in the evening. the roads were of course heavy shingle, and we had to carry our bikes over most of the creeks and streams no bridges had been built at that time, not sure but I think we could have go as far as Haast but had to return to ChCh
Rose Nolan
Road was pushed through Hawea- Makarora Central Otago earlier. Work on the Pass was halted due to WW2. Resumed in the 50’s. Highly likely that photo is correct with date. They would have not have travelled past the Otago side of Pass
Noeline McCaughan
There was a bridle track to the West of the pass, I am uncertain as how far it was taken, possibly right down to the Junction of Haast and Landsborough river.
Bob Stuart
The road was opened on Nov.6th 1965
Norma Holyoake, wife of Prime Minister Keith Holyoake, cut the ribbon to open the final section of the Haast road at Knights Point on 6 November 1965. The ceremony, held in heavy rain, was something of an anticlimax.
Brenda Monk
Julian Evans yes, you are absolutely right. I was there as a 10 year old, and was so impressed with the fine array of umbrellas. (I had never seen an umbrella before!)
Julian Evans
Brenda Monk I was 8. My Grandfather attended. He was a miner from Greymouth. Remember him telling me about it.
Brenda Monk
Julian Evans does not seem that long ago!!
Graeme Pierson
The road from Wanaka to Haast was opened years before the rod went north from Haast.
Heather Newby
badge icon
thanks
Allan W Gray
I went over it 1960-1
i went over it in 1966.. It was just before I started high school
Duncan Hamilton
Looks like an early Ford Prefect from 1953 on
Dad had a Ford Prefect.. we went a lot of places in that
Jean Mehrtens
Duncan Hamilton it says 1940’s - ?
Duncan Hamilton
Jean Mehrtens someone took a punt with the date I think. I might have the model wrong but that doesn't look like a 40s car
Garry Jackson
Duncan Hamilton Car looks a bit like a late 30s Austin 10.
David Verrall
I was told that Mrs Betty Eggeling was the first woman to drive from Haast to Wanaka, allegedly in a Landrover. Can't confirm this, someone might tho!
Heather Newby
badge icon
interesting.. thanks
Stuart McMillan
Heather Newby on google it says 6th November 1965
Duncan Hamilton
My bad, seems they started production in 1939. Shoulda googled it before posting
Noel Marley
1933/39 Austin Light Twelve.
George Brown
66' was the final connection to the glaciers and north from HAAST .The road to Wanaka Cromwell was open for years before that .
Jean Mehrtens
Funny - I did think Austin something when I first saw it
Phil Millar
1966 when the road opened!
Barry Caldwell
This is the Otago -Haast road, not the road up the Coast opened in 66.
JenDick Stevens
its a austin 1938
Lisa Molloy
Austin, not perfect, thanks I was sure it was a prefect, but I'm no expert and a little younger
Wendy Bruce
Mr Wikipedia says “The road through Haast Pass (State Highway 6) was converted from a rough track to a formed road in 1966 and received a complete chipseal surface by 1995”
It was definitely a dirt road still when I lived at Carters in the mid 70’s
Brenda Monk
Wendy Bruce there you go Mr Wikipedia made a mistake!
Graham Ruston
Wendy Bruce hello wendy
Margaret Mckee
We left Haast about 1958 and the road to Wanaka opened after that. Would not have been bridges back then
Peter Leversedge
I along with two friends drove my 51' Ford Custom ( Twin Spinner ) from Cromwell to Hasst at Easter 1962. At the time the Hasst bridge was under construction
Brenda Monk
The road through from Central Otago to Haast opened in 1960, then from Haast to Paringa in November 1965. We had a 50th Anniversary celebration of the opening in November 2015.
Brenda Monk
Mr Wikipedia is wrong!
Donald Pearson
Austin 10 1937/ 38.
Mawson N Kay Shaw
I think my Father had one of these cars, but it could have been a Ford 10, I was a little baby then.
Roger Strong
1965 I think....
Pat Meredith
In 1958 3 friends, David Coulter, Rex Smith, Ray Leach and myself, road pushbikes from Christchurch to Makarora (head of Lake Wanaka) David an I got to the top of the pass late in the evening. the roads were of course heavy shingle, and we had to carry our bikes over most of the creeks and streams no bridges had been built at that time, not sure but I think we could have go as far as Haast but had to return to ChCh
Rose Nolan
Road was pushed through Hawea- Makarora Central Otago earlier. Work on the Pass was halted due to WW2. Resumed in the 50’s. Highly likely that photo is correct with date. They would have not have travelled past the Otago side of Pass
Noeline McCaughan
There was a bridle track to the West of the pass, I am uncertain as how far it was taken, possibly right down to the Junction of Haast and Landsborough river.
Bob Stuart
The road was opened on Nov.6th 1965
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West Coast New Zealand History (24th Jul 2020). Otago Westland border - Top of the Haast Pass.1940`s. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 4th Apr 2026 14:11, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/28167