NEW ZEALAND * ARTHUR’S PASS

NEW  ZEALAND  *  ARTHUR’S  PASS
Mount Barron - Otira Gorge - Skippers Road - Taipo River - Jackson’s Accommodation House

Researched, written and illustrated by George W. Randall co-founder in July 1996 and former Vice Chairman Kinloch Castle Friends' Association.

B L O G   7 6   *   ALBUM XII 

*<>*<>*<>*<>* Time of visit to New Zealand November 1894. *<>*<>*<>*<>*

 Late 19^th century photographs collected by George Bullough,

(b.1870 - d.1939, later Sir George, Baronet of the island of Rum, Scotland),

during his three year-long world tour 1892-1895 in the library at

his Highland home, Kinloch Castle, Scotland.

The twenty albums contain around seven hundred images of  the places visited
in the closing decades of the nineteenth century.

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

Blog 72:   Hobart, Dunedin and Taiaroa Head Royal Albatross Colony.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3149945780622106744/6941418748164544343

Blog 73:   Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and Lyttleton – the Sea Port of Christchurch.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3149945780622106744/1678666830691387026

Blog 74:   Christchurch Cathedral and City.
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3149945780622106744/3313526454202987772

Blog 75:   Glenmark House and Sheep Run, Springfield Stagecoach, Porter’s Pass.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3149945780622106744/5499376515509645705

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

BLOG 76  -  ARTHUR’S  PASS
ALBUM XII  -  NEW ZEALAND  

DIVIDING PEG ARTHUR'S PASS 3,900 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL   No. 507 JR. 
Album XII  *  Image 8  *  Detail from full size 8 x 5½ inches
Original photograph by James Ring, Greymouth.

A modern map depicting the route from Christchurch via Springfield, Castle Hill, 
Bealey and Arthur's Pass to Greymouth.

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

Arthur’s Pass is named after Arthur Dudley Dobson who arrived at Lyttleton in 1850 with his father, Edward, and elder brother, George,

with the First Fleet on board the 720 ton barque Cressy.

With the railway boom in Britain coming to an end thirty-four year 

old Edward Dobson decided to emigrate with his family to 

New Zealand with the first colonists.

An engineer and surveyor by profession from, 1854-1868 

Edward  held the post of Provincial Engineer for Canterbury Province responsible for a number of projects in particular the routing and construction of the country’s first railways and the 2,800 yard long Lyttleton Rail Tunnel, which commenced in July 1861, and for which  twenty year old Arthur was responsible for preparing the all-important sectional drawings to the proposed plans of George Robert Stephenson.

SUMMIT OF ARTHUR'S PASS    No. 508 JR. 

Album XII    *    Image 9    *    Size 8 x 5½ inches

Original photograph by James Ring, Greymouth.

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

MOUNT BARRON   *   OTIRA GORGE, 

SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND

MOUNT BARRON (6,000 feet) OTIRA GORGE, NEW ZEALAND.  522 JR.

Album XII  *  Image 10  *  Size  8 x 5½ inches.

MOUNT BARRON (6,000 feet) OTIRA GORGE, NEW ZEALAND. 
 522 JR. (James Ring)
Album XII  *  Image 10  *  Detail from full size 8 x 5½ inches.

I wonder who this lady and daughter were?

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

                                                                 Early New Zealand Photographers and Their Successors

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

STARVATION POINT, OTIRA GORGE, NEW ZEALAND.  523 JR.

Album XII  *  Image 11  *  Size  8 x 5½ inches.

From: Early New Zealand Photographers and Their Successors *  Hardy and Billing

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

THE BLUFF SKIPPERS ROAD NEW ZEALAND
Album XII  *  Image 15  *  Size 8 x 5½ inches 
No. 282 Morris (John Richard Morris)

THE BLUFF SKIPPERS ROAD NEW ZEALAND
Album XII  *  Image 15  *  Size 8 x 5½ inches  *  No. 282 Morris


Not a place for the horses to panic or suddenly bolt due to a rock fall.

TWO MORE IMAGES OF STAGECOACHES TRAVERSING OTIRA GORGE 
by James Ring

From:  Early New Zealand Photographers and Their Successors

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

SKIPPERS ROAD SHOWING THE OLD PACK TRACK

Album XII  *  Image 16  *  Size 8 x 5½ inches  *  No. 284 Morris

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

One of the richest gold-bearing rivers in the world, the Shotover River was originally named 
the Tummel by Donald Cameron and Angus Macdonald, two early Scottish pioneers 
who traversed the area in the early 1860's. It was named the Overshot by 
gold-miners who flocked to the gorge in 1862, but it was explorer and surveyor 
Gilbert William Rees, founder of Queenstown, who finally called the
forty-seven mile waterway the Shotover. 

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

JACKSONS CHRISTCHURCH ROAD NEW ZEALAND

Album XII  *  Image 20  *  Detail from full size 8 x 5 inches  *  Hino Photo No. 564

The Accommodation House was bought in 1870 by brothers Michael and Adam Jackson following their time prospecting on the Otago Goldfields during the Gold Rush of 1865.

 Located alongside Christchurch Road the hotel was an important stop-over for stagecoaches along the track to Hokitika on the west coast, a three-day journey.

However, the area was notorious for floods and in a flash-flood in 1871 the building was

 swept away. Rebuilt by the Jacksons and renamed Jackson’s Perry Range Hotel, after the range of mountains behind the hotel, it also served as the regions post office.

The Journal of the New Zealand House of Representatives for 1884/1885
records the hotel manager as John Evans.

In the 19th. century the 160 mile coach journey over New Zealand's South Island main divide from Christchurch to Greymouth took three days with eleven stops to change horses. Consequently accommodation houses, as well as providing services to travellers, 

had stables and blacksmiths on the premises or nearby to care for the horses.

JACKSONS CHRISTCHURCH ROAD NEW ZEALAND

Album XII  *  Image 20  *  Detail from full size 8 x 5 inches  *  Hino Photo No. 564

The sign reads: J. JACKSON'S PERRY RANGE HOTEL

Accompanying West Coast New Zealand History text:

 “Jacksons Hotel, another of many photographs taken of this hotel, Jackson’s third hotel in 1879.

It is the replacement of the replacement of the original hotel swept away in the floods of 1872.”

National Library, Wellington, New Zealand.

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

Otira Gorge Hotel - Photograph taken by James Ring, 1880's.

OTIRA ACCOMMODATION HOUSE

Album XII  *  Image 18  *  Detail from original 8 x 5½ inches by "JR" James Ring. 

OTIRA ACCOMMODATION HOUSE

Album XII  *  Image 18  *  Detail from original 8 x 5½ inches by "JR" James Ring. 

Otira Stagecoach Hotel was built in 1865 to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population driven by the discovery of gold. Recognised as a museum the hotel in its unique setting has been restored, its eight rooms furnished to recapture the period.

                                                                                                                                      Early New Zealand Photographers

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

NEAR THE TAIPO  -  CHRISTCHURCH ROAD. No. 492 JR.
Album XII  *  Image 19  *  Size 8 x 5½ inches  *  No. 492 James Ring

Fed by numerous mountain streams west of the 7,451 foot high Mount Rolleston in 
Arthur’s Pass National Park, the sixteen mile long Taipo River runs north for about 
nine miles before turning eastward into the Taramakau River. 
After another twenty-two miles it flows into the Tasman Sea nine miles south of Greymouth on the west coast of South Island.

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*  *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*

*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*<>*   *   *<>*<>*<>*<>*<  >*<>*<>*<>*