Story: West Coast region

Road through the Ōtira gorge

Road through the Ōtira gorge

Rockfalls and screes have been a hazard for road construction and maintenance through the Ōtira gorge, west of Arthur’s Pass. For more than 100 years a winding section of the road (known as ‘the zig-zag’) skirted around the top of a landslide (above). In 2001 this was replaced by a viaduct (below), close to the Ōtira River beneath the zig-zag.

Using this item

GNS Science
Reference: CN35817/25 and CN43352/23
Photographs by Lloyd Homer

Permission of GNS Science must be obtained before any use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Simon Nathan, 'West Coast region - Transport and communication', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/21132/road-through-the-otira-gorge (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Simon Nathan, updated 1 Sep 2016