Editing Lewis Pass (section)

{{Short description|Mountain pass in New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Lewis Pass
| photo = 
| photo_caption = 
| elevation_m = 907
| elevation_ref = 
| traversed = State Highway 7
| map = New Zealand
| location = New Zealand
| range = [[Southern Alps]]
| coordinates = {{coord|42.3797|S|172.4|E|type:pass|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Lewis Pass''' is the northernmost of the three main [[mountain pass]]es through the [[Southern Alps]] in the [[South Island]] of New Zealand. With an elevation of 907 metres, it is slightly lower than [[Arthur's Pass (mountain pass)|Arthur's Pass]] and higher than [[Haast Pass]].

The pass is the saddle between the valleys of the [[Maruia River]] to the northwest in the [[West Coast Region]] and the [[Lewis River (Canterbury)|Lewis River]] to the southeast in north [[Canterbury Region|Canterbury]]. The small spa of [[Maruia Springs]] is close to the saddle, on the West Coast side.

Lewis Pass is named after [[Henry Lewis (surveyor)|Henry Lewis]] who, together with Christopher Maling, was the first European to discover the pass, in April 1860 while working as a surveyor of the Nelson Provincial Survey Department.<ref name="Te Ara">{{cite book |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |date=1966 |publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage|Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga]] |url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/lewis-pass | editor-first=A. H. |editor-last=McLintock |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |first=Harry |last=Gair |accessdate= 21 July 2024 |chapter=Lewis Pass}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.lewishouse.co.nz/history.html |title=Accommodation Collingwood – Lewis House Historic home self contained accommodation on the beach in Golden Bay |accessdate=16 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129230815/http://www.lewishouse.co.nz/history.html |archivedate=29 November 2010 }}</ref> Before this time the pass was used by the [[Ngāi Tahu]] [[Māori people|Māori]] of Canterbury to transport [[pounamu]] (greenstone) from the west coast.<ref>Darroch Donald, ''Footprint New Zealand'', Footprint Travel Guides, 2007, p. 499, {{ISBN|1-906098-04-2}} or {{ISBN|978-1-906098-04-9}}</ref><ref>Laura Harper, Tony Mudd, Paul Whitfield, ''Rough Guide to New Zealand'', Rough Guides, 2002, p. 683, {{ISBN|1-85828-896-7}} or {{ISBN|978-1-85828-896-3}}</ref>

[[New Zealand State Highway 7|State Highway 7]] traverses the pass. The road officially opened on Saturday 30 October 1937. It had a regular bus route over it until [[InterCity (New Zealand)|Intercity's]] service was replaced by a seasonal shuttle.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1 November 1937 |title=Lewis Pass highway opened |newspaper=[[The Press]] |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/press/1937/11/01/6 |access-date=15 January 2023 |via=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McMahon |first=Brendon |date=21 November 2022 |title='Hallelujah': NZTA listens to West Coast village's plea after 40 years of lobbying |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-democracy-reporting/300744964/hallelujah-nzta-listens-to-west-coast-villages-plea-after-40-years-of-lobbying |access-date=15 January 2023 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=West Coast Shuttle Service |url=https://www.eastwestcoaches.co.nz/ |access-date=15 January 2023 |website=East West Coaches |language=en}}</ref>

The highway passes through extensive unmodified native [[Nothofagus|beech]] forest. The area around the pass is protected as a [[National reserves of New Zealand|national reserve]], the Lewis Pass National Scenic Reserve, which was gazetted in 1981.<ref>{{cite book |title=Canterbury (Waitaha) Conservation Management Strategy 2016 |date=2016 |url= https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/about-doc/role/policies-and-plans/canterbury-cms/canterbury-cms-2016-volume-1.pdf |publisher=New Zealand Department of Conservation |page=61 |access-date=25 October 2023}}</ref> There are a number of [[Hiking|tramping]] routes in the Lewis Pass area, including the [[St James Walkway]].  The short Alpine Nature Walk loop walk around an alpine wetland and tarn is accessed from a carpark near the saddle.