Lewis Pass is named after 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.[1][2] Before this time the pass was used by the Ngāi TahuMāori of Canterbury to transport pounamu (greenstone) from the west coast.[3][4]
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's service was replaced by a seasonal shuttle.[5][6][7]
The highway passes through extensive unmodified native beech forest. The area around the pass is protected as a national reserve, the Lewis Pass National Scenic Reserve, which was gazetted in 1981.[8] There are a number of 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.
Climate
Climate data for Boyle River Lodge, elevation 600 m (2,000 ft), (1991–2020)