Arthur's Pass stands at 920 metres on the main divide of the Southern Alps, and its village is a small cluster of houses, a hotel, a visitor centre and a railway station, at the foot of a wall of rock, scree and snow. The pass was found in 1864 by the surveyor Arthur Dobson, and within a year a coach road had been built over it to carry gold miners to the West Coast. Before that Māori had used a route nearby. The railway followed, and an eight-and-a-half-kilometre tunnel under the range, finished in 1923, now carries the TranzAlpine train. The village exists because of these routes, and it is a base for walkers and climbers.
The mountains here are young, steep and rapidly eroding, and the landscape is raw: shingle fans, braided rivers, beech forest in the valleys and alpine meadows above. Weather comes in from the west with rain, cloud and wind, and the climate is wet and changeable. Snow can fall at any time of year, and the road has been closed many times by avalanches, floods and slips. A short walk from the village leads to the Devil's Punchbowl Falls, a waterfall of about 130 metres that thunders down a rock face into a deep pool. Wear waterproofs, as the spray is heavy.
The village is also home to the kea, the cheeky alpine parrots that are clever, curious and destructive. They will investigate anything, from a seat to a tyre, and will happily pull rubber from a bike. Do not leave anything loose on your machine, and do not feed them, however charming they look. They are protected and increasingly rare, but they have no respect for gloves.
The road, State Highway 73, is a classic, with sweeping views, long climbs and a good surface, and from Arthur's Pass it descends toward the west through Otira Gorge. Traffic is moderate, with trucks, campervans and tour coaches, and in winter the road may need chains. Fuel in the village is limited or unavailable, so fill up in Springfield on the east side or at Kumara or Hokitika to the west before you cross. There is a small shop and a café in the village, and a hot meal after a wet ride is welcome. Bring warm layers, because it can be cold.