Activities & Facts about....

Facts about...Arthur's Pass:

Region: Canterbury
District: Selwyn
Was founded: in 1906 and named after Arthur Dudley Dobson (1841-1934)
Village population: approxiamtely 50
Situated: approximately 800m above sea level

Facts about...Weather

Best months to visit: Jan - Feb
Sunniest month: February
Rainfall: Ahahahahaha yes! plenty of rain, check our instant weather upates on twitter!

Facts about...Walks

Short Walks

Millennium Walk (time: 10 min return)
This easy walk starts beside the Visitor Centre. Follow the path along the base of the hill towards the village. Small trout are often seen in Avalanche Creek from the historic bridge. From here, the path goes up to a viewing platform overlooking the Avalanche Creek Waterfall, which is lit at night.

Village historic and interpretive walk (time: 1 hr 30 min round trip)
This leisurely, easy walk takes you around Arthur’s Pass village to historic sites. At each site photographs show you how the village used to look in the early 1900’s. A pamphlet for this walk is available from the Arthur’s Pass Visitor Centre.

*OUR PICK* Devils Punchbowl Waterfall (time: 1 hr return)
Walkers admire the Devils Punchbowl Falls from the viewing
platform at the base of the falls. The top of this spectacular fall
(131 metres) can be seen from the main road, but a walk to the
base of the waterfall is well worth doing in any weather, any time
of the year. A signpost just north of the Arthurs Chalet Restaurant
points to the carpark where the walk starts. The track goes up the
side of the Bealey River and over two footbridges before
zig-zagging up steps through the mountain beech forest to the
waterfall's base. Return the same way.

Bridal Veil (time: 1 hr 30 min return)
This easy valley walk starts from the same carpark as the Devils Punchbowl Waterfall walk. After the first footbridge over the Bealey River, the track goes left through mountain beech forest.
There is a view back to the village from a lookout, 20 minutes
from the track start. Most of the track gradient is gentle,
with a short steep section descending to cross
Bridal Veil Creek about half way along.

Half day walks

Bealey Valley (time: 3 - 4 hours return)
This is an attractive well-graded walk through mountain beech forest to the base of Mount Rolleston. The track starts from a car-park three km north of Arthur’s Pass Village on SH 73. Jack’s Hut, an historic road worker’s hut, is just across the road. 

Otira Valley (time: 2 hours return to the footbridge)
This relatively easy graded track follows up a deep alpine valley on the northern side of Mt Rolleston. It climbs over an old glacial moraine, then follows the contour through subalpine scrub and tussock to the Otira River foot-bridge. The track leaves from a car-park beside SH 73, just north of Arthur’s Pass summit.

Temple Basin (time: 3 hours return)
This track starts from above the bush-line at the SH 73 roadside car-park, five km north of Arthur’s Pass township. The track zig-zags up the hill to an open tussock basin and the Temple Basin Ski Club buildings. On a clear day you get magnificent views of Mt Rolleston across the valley.