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Story: Canterbury places

Māori at Weka Pass

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Māori at Weka Pass

Weka Pass lies between the northern end of the Canterbury Plains and the Amuri district. It was first used by Māori as a thoroughfare and shelter more than 500 years ago. Their rock drawings, on the walls of limestone overhangs, survive today. This 1876 painting is an imagined scene at the pass, showing some of the drawings.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: G-391

by Thomas Selby Cousins

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

John Wilson, Canterbury places – Amuri district, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/10165/maori-at-weka-pass (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 2 March 2009, updated 17 August 2015.