Haast Pass

Haast Pass / Tioripatea
Lookout point above the summit
Elevation	562 m (1,844 ft)[1]
Traversed by	State Highway 6
Location	West Coast / Otago, New Zealand
Range	Southern Alps
Coordinates	44°06′19″S 169°21′22″E / 44.105278°S 169.3561°E / -44.105278; 169.3561
Haast Pass / Tioripatea

Haast Pass / Tioripatea is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. Māori used the pass in pre-European times.

The pass takes its name from Julius von Haast, a 19th-century explorer who also served as provincial geologist for the provincial government of Canterbury. Following the passage of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, the name of the pass was officially altered to Haast Pass / Tioripatea.^[2] The pass lies within the limits of Mount Aspiring National Park and forms part of the boundary between the Otago and West Coast regions.

The Haast Pass is one of the three passes where a road crosses over the Southern Alps – alongside the Lewis Pass and Arthur's Pass, although the Homer Tunnel passes under the Main Divide. The Haast Pass rises to a height of 562 metres (1,844 ft) above sea level ^[1] at the saddle between the valleys of the Haast and Makarora Rivers. As such, it is the lowest of the passes traversing the Southern Alps.^[3]

The route through Haast Pass (now State Highway 6) was converted from a rough track to a formed road that reached the Haast township in 1960, but was not linked with the rest of the West Coast until 1965.

No settlements exist on the Haast Pass road between Haast and Makarora. The road passes through predominantly unmodified beech forest. Between the township of Haast and the summit of the pass, State Highway 6 follows the route of the Haast River, and provides access and viewing points for several notable waterfalls including (west-to-east): Roaring Billy Falls, Thunder Creek Falls, and Fantail Falls.