In the 1920s, Arthurs Pass Village bustled with steam trains, horse-drawn coaches and the occasional motor car.

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DescriptionIn the 1920s, Arthur’s Pass Village bustled with steam trains, horse-drawn coaches and the occasional motor car. A sign on the white motor car in the centre of this photograph narrows down the date it was taken to just a couple of years. The car belongs to Clements Motors Ltd, which ferried people, goods and mail from Christchurch to the West Coast from February 1922 to December 1923. Horses outnumbered motor cars in the early 1920s, but it was a different picture at the end of the decade. By 1929, there were more than 150,000 cars in New Zealand, with Kiwis second only to the US for car ownership rates. This photograph captures a moment between two eras, when the age of the horse was about to make way for the age of the motor car. Photo Canterbury Museum.Date of Photo1920`sMap^[1]ContributorTony Kokshoorn

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Location (city or town)Arthurs Pass Landmark (Place)Arthurs Pass Village

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Date Created19th July 2026

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In the 1920s, Arthurs Pass Village bustled with steam trains, horse-drawn coaches and the occasional motor car.

Editing is temporarily disabled