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Story: Roads

Haast Pass road

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In 1960 the Haast Pass road (part of State Highway 6) opened from Otago to Haast on the coast. It would be another five years before the section from Haast to Lake Paringa was completed. This then allowed motorists to make a circuit around both the east and west coasts of the South Island.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Pictorial Parade 107. National Film Unit, 1960

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Roads – Why roads were built, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/23294/haast-pass-road (accessed 18 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 2 March 2010, updated 1 March 2016.