Gates of Haast

Gates of Haast
Gates of Haast
	Gates of Haast gorge and bridge
	Gates of Haast Location in Mount Aspiring National Park; New Zealand
Long-axis direction	East-West
Geography
Coordinates	44°02′22.5″S 169°22′47″E / 44.039583°S 169.37972°E
Traversed by	State Highway 6

The Gates of Haast is a gorge on the Haast River in Mount Aspiring National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 56 kilometres (35 mi) inland by road from the township of Haast and 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from the summit of Haast Pass. The Gates of Haast has sheer rock cliffs above a steep cascade in the Haast River.^[1] State Highway 6 crosses the gorge on a single-lane Callender-Hamilton steel truss bridge.

History

The Haast Pass was a route used by Maori in pre-European times. In 1863, the route was used by the explorer and geologist Julius von Haast along with Charles Cameron. By 1880, a packhorse track had been constructed over the pass; however, work to form a road across the pass did not start until 1929 when work began at Lake Hãwea.^[2] A further phase commenced from the east at Makarora in 1936, and proceeded as far as the Gates of Haast, but was then halted for several years because of diversion of resources to the Second World War. Further work on the western side of the Gates of Haast did not begin again until 1946.^[3] Progress was slow, and by 1955, there was still 10 miles of roadway to be formed on the western side of the gorge.^[4]

The Haast Pass road between Otago and southern Westland was officially opened in November 1960, but it was announced that a complete road closure would be required in the New Year to replace the existing temporary Bailey bridge at Gates of Haast with a permanent structure.^[5] The permanent replacement was a modular pre-fabricated Callender-Hamilton steel truss bridge.^[6] Road closures to replace the existing Bailey bridge commenced after Easter 1961.^[6] In May 1961, morning and afternoon road closures were implemented for the construction work, and maximum weight and speed limits were imposed.^[7] In the final stages of the construction, the Bailey bridge was closed, allowing only pedestrians to cross. During this period, supplies for the Haast township, normally delivered via the road from Cromwell in Otago had to be hand-carried across a catwalk over the river from one truck on the Otago side to another truck on the West Coast side.^[8] In September 1961, the new Callender-Hamilton bridge was opened, after 3 months of total road closure.^[9]

Work was still required to complete the remaining sections of the road between Haast and Paringa to connect with the rest of the West Coast. The official opening of the Haast Highway as a complete route was held on 6 November 1965.^[10]

In February 1979, the National Roads Board reported that severe floods had caused damage under and around the Gates of Haast bridge that would cost an estimated $0.5 million to repair.^[11]

In December 1979, the Ministry of Works and Development advised that exceptionally high flood levels in the Haast River had caused significant damage to the highway in the vicinity of the Gates of Haast Bridge. Heavy erosion had occurred, removing most of the road protection works. Boulders weighing an estimated 500 tonnes had moved or disappeared.^[12] The bridge was declared unsafe for traffic, closing State Highway 6 across the pass and causing major impacts on West Coast tourism. The Ministry of Works reported that the bridge foundations of the Haast end had been almost completely undermined, and urgent temporary support measures were put in place to prevent the bridge from collapsing if the foundations failed.^[13] Temporary repairs were made to allow the bridge to be re-opened for Christmas holiday traffic, but during day-times only and with a weight restriction. Passengers on tourist buses were required to disembark and walk across the bridge, to lessen the load. It was estimated that full repairs to the bridge would take six months.^[14]^[15]

In 2010, a proposal was announced for a new bridge and road re-alignment at Gates of Haast. The proposed new bridge would be two-lane and have an estimated cost of $28 million. The proposal was intended to mitigate some of the hazards of slips, erosion and heavy vehicle impact that are a threat to the existing bridge.^[16] However, in 2014, these plans were shelved, after three years of investigations concluded that a new bridge could not be engineered to withstand a major landslide or washout that are inherent risks in this section of State Highway 6.^[17]

References

^ "Further Contract For Work On Haast Highway". The Press. 8 June 1957. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Opening up the Haast". The Press. 29 June 1972. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "The History And Future Of The Haast Road". The Press. 21 March 1960. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Haast Pass Highway – Work on roadway progressing". The Press. 22 December 1955. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Haast Pass Road - Eastern Section Open Soon". The Press. 19 October 1960. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ ^a ^b "General news – Bridge over Haast". The Press. 2 March 1961. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Public Notices- Haast Pass Road: Gates of Haast Bridge – Notice of weight and speed limits – also times of closure". The Press. 8 May 1961. Archived from the original on 7 September 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Difficulty In Carrying Supplies To Haast". The Press. 31 July 1961. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "General news - New Haast bridge". The Press. 16 September 1961. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Haast Pass Road- Restrictions on caravans". The Press. 29 October 1965. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Roads Board allocation forces works cut-back". The Press. 22 February 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Rain threatens road repairs". The Press. 7 December 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Storm damage severe blow for Coast tourist industry". The Press. 8 December 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "Haast highway open for Christmas". The Press. 15 December 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ "S.H. 6- Haast Pass section – Notifications of weight and speed limits on bridge". The Press. 18 December 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.
^ Cook, Majorie (19 April 2010). "$28m plan to replace Gates of Haast bridge". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
^ "New Gates of Haast Bridge plans shelved". NZ Transport Agency. 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.

External links

Andrew Timothy Walsh (2015), Engineering Geomorphological Assessment and Slope Hazard Identification of the Haast Pass Highway Corridor, State Highway Six, Haast Pass New Zealand, UC Research Repository, doi:10.26021/6370, hdl:10092/10575, Wikidata Q112806338
Haast Pass Road construction photos at Hocken Collections

[1] "Further Contract For Work On Haast Highway". The Press. 8 June 1957. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[2] "Opening up the Haast". The Press. 29 June 1972. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[3] "The History And Future Of The Haast Road". The Press. 21 March 1960. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[4] "Haast Pass Highway – Work on roadway progressing". The Press. 22 December 1955. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[5] "Haast Pass Road - Eastern Section Open Soon". The Press. 19 October 1960. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[callender-6] "General news – Bridge over Haast". The Press. 2 March 1961. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[7] "Public Notices- Haast Pass Road: Gates of Haast Bridge – Notice of weight and speed limits – also times of closure". The Press. 8 May 1961. Archived from the original on 7 September 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[8] "Difficulty In Carrying Supplies To Haast". The Press. 31 July 1961. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[9] "General news - New Haast bridge". The Press. 16 September 1961. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[10] "Haast Pass Road- Restrictions on caravans". The Press. 29 October 1965. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[11] "Roads Board allocation forces works cut-back". The Press. 22 February 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[12] "Rain threatens road repairs". The Press. 7 December 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[13] "Storm damage severe blow for Coast tourist industry". The Press. 8 December 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[14] "Haast highway open for Christmas". The Press. 15 December 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[15] "S.H. 6- Haast Pass section – Notifications of weight and speed limits on bridge". The Press. 18 December 1979. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via Papers Past.

[16] Cook, Majorie (19 April 2010). "$28m plan to replace Gates of Haast bridge". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.

[17] "New Gates of Haast Bridge plans shelved". NZ Transport Agency. 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.

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v t e Mount Aspiring National Park, New Zealand
Mountains	Mount Aspiring / Tititea Mount Brewster Mount Earnslaw Mount Franklin
Mountain ranges	Humboldt Mountains
Glaciers	Dart Glacier Olivine Ice Plateau Rob Roy Glacier Volta Glacier
Gorges and mountain passes	Gates of Haast Haast Pass
Rivers	Arawhata River Barrier River Bettne River Blue River Blue Duck River Bonar River Burke River Cascade River Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu Donald River Drake River Fish River Forgotten River Haast River Joe River Kitchener River Makarora River Matukituki River Mueller River Ngatau River Okuru River Olivine River Pearson River Pyke River Red Pyke River Routeburn River Te Naihi River Turnbull River Waiatoto River Waipara River Whitbourn River Wilkin River Williamson River Wills River Young River
Waterfalls	Bridal Veil Falls Fantail Falls Roaring Billy Falls Thunder Creek Falls
Walking tracks	Cascade Saddle Track Rees and Dart Tracks Routeburn Track Routeburn Classic
Other	Haast-Hollyford road Lake Sylvan Pleasant Flat

v t e Landforms of Westland District, New Zealand
Alpine passes	Arthur's Pass Browning Pass / Nōti Raureka Copland Pass Haast Pass
Bays	Bruce Bay Jackson Bay
Canyons, gorges and waterfalls	Fantail Falls Gates of Haast Hokitika Gorge Otira Gorge Roaring Billy Falls Thunder Creek Falls
Glaciers	Agassiz Glacier Douglas Glacier Fox Glacier Franz Josef Glacier Garden of Eden Ice Plateau Olivine Ice Plateau Volta Glacier
Headlands	Abut Head Awarua Point Gillespies Point Knights Point
Islands	Open Bay Islands
Lakes and lagoons	Abel Lake Alpine Lake / Ata Puai Lake Ellery Lake Gault Lake Ianthe Lake Kaniere Lake Mahinapua Lake Mapourika Lake Matheson Lake Moeraki Ōkārito Lagoon Lake Paringa Saltwater Lagoon Lake Wahapo
Mountain ranges	Butler Range Southern Alps
Mountains	Mount Adams Aoraki / Mount Cook Mount Aspiring / Tititea Mount Brewster Mount Dampier Mount Graham Mount Haast Mount Hopkins La Perouse Lendenfeld Peak Mount Rolleston Mount Sefton Silberhorn Mount Tasman Mount Vancouver Mount Whitcombe
River flats	Pleasant Flat
Rivers	Adams River Arahura River Arawhata River Balfour River Barlow River Barn River Bettne River Big Wainihinihi River Burke River Butler River Callery River Cascade River Clarke River Clearwater River Cook River / Weheka Copland River Cropp River Deception River Donald River Douglas River Drake River Duncan River Edison River Fork River Fox River Gorge River Gunn River Haast River Hacket River Hall River Hapuka River Harman River Hinatua River Hokitika River Hope River Jackson River Jerry River Kaniere River Karangarua River Kokatahi River Lambert River Landsborough River Lord River Macfarlane River Mahitahi River Jacobs River Manakaiaua River Maori River Martyr River Mikonui River Moeraki River Morse River Mueller River Mungo River Ngatau River North Barlow River Ohinemaka River Ōhinetamatea River Ōkārito River Okuru River Ōmoeroa River Oneone River Otehake River Ōtira River Ōtoko River Paringa River Perth River Poerua River Rolleston River Rotokino River Ruera River Ship Creek Smoothwater River Smyth River Spoon River Stafford River Strauchon River Styx River Taipo River Taramakau River Te Naihi River Te Rahotaiepa River Toaroha River Tōtara River Totarakaitorea River Troyte River Tuke River Turnbull River Waiatoto River Waiho River Waikūkūpa River Waipara River Waita River Waitaha River Waitangitāhuna River Waitangiroto River Wanganui River Whakaikai River Whakapohai River Whataroa River Whitcombe River Wilkinson River Willberg River Williamson River Wills River