Lewis Pass is a low, unhurried crossing of the Southern Alps, only 864 metres high, but it feels grander than that because the whole route runs through unbroken beech forest and wild river valleys. State Highway 7 links the Canterbury plains with the West Coast, and it does so by following the Waiau and Lewis rivers up through a corridor of mountains, past the Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve, and then down along the Maruia River toward Murchison. It was named for Henry Lewis, a surveyor who crossed it in 1860, though Māori had used it for centuries to reach the pounamu, the greenstone, of the West Coast.
The riding is easy but beautiful. The road is wide, well surfaced and gently graded, with long, open curves that suit a relaxed pace, and in good weather it is a day of pure, undemanding pleasure. The country opens up at the Lewis Pass Tops, where you can see alpine tussock, rock and a few remaining patches of snow in early summer. Birds are everywhere in the forest, and with luck you will hear the bell-like call of a tui or glimpse a bright flash of a kea.
Hanmer Springs, at the eastern end, is the town to know. Its thermal pools have drawn bathers since the nineteenth century, and a hot soak at the end of a long day is almost obligatory. At the western end, the road drops into the Buller region, where the weather changes abruptly and the sky is often grey and wet.
In winter the pass can ice up and snow can close it briefly, so check the road report. Spring brings wild flowers and cold mornings, summer is warm and busy, and autumn turns the beech forests a soft russet. Sandflies appear the moment you stop, so keep repellent in the tank bag. The traffic includes heavy trucks, which slow on the hills, so take the overtaking points when they come.