Danseys Pass

Finish What We Started

We got a taste of the Danseys Pass when we travelled half of the Pass from the Livingstone end, during the winter months.  As expected, it was closed around 23km into the drive over the  Danseys Pass.  We never got to climb the summit or make it all the way through to Naseby.  check out our blog on that end of Danseys Pass here.

While staying put in Ranfurly, we decided that we would ‘knock the barst@#* off’ and finish off what we started.

Where is Danseys Pass?

From the small Central Otago township of Naseby to Livingstone, it is approximately 55km.  The mountain pass traverses the Kakanui Range and is located at the boundary of the Waitaki and Central Otago districts.  It is also the boundary between the Canterbury and Otago regions.

It is a well-used link between the towns of Naseby in the south and Duntroon.

What’s the Road Like?

Much of the road going over Danseys Pass is unsealed and occasionally cut directly from the schist bedrock.  There is signage both ends of Danseys Pass which indicate that the road is not suitable for buses, campervans, caravans or towing.  It is quite often closed due to snow in the winter months or during heavy rain.

When I posted on Social Media about our day trip over the pass, I copped a bit of flack from those who have indeed traversed the pass in their campervans or with their caravans in tow.

I would like to point out that we prefer to obey the signage and didn’t tow our caravan through Danseys Pass.  We like to explore side roads and tracks which isn’t always possible when towing, and we’re always respectful to our fellow road users.

If you are travelling from Naseby end, the road to the Kyeburn Cemetery, Danseys Pass Hotel, Kyeburn Diggings and DoC Camp is suitable for most types of vehicles.  The warning signs are located just past these locations.

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

Yes, the road is often used by large stock trucks and farming vehicles, so with care, larger rigs may be able to negotiate the narrow, steep Danseys Pass.  However, if you were to meet an equally large rig or truck coming towards you, it may be quite a different story.

There may be some reversing required and we figure that it is best not to aggravate the local farming community by slowing up their daily coming and goings by having to navigate around large recreational vehicles.

It is totally up to the individual as to whether you wish to drive the Danseys Pass in whatever vehicle you choose.

Kyeburn Diggings Cemetery

Our first point of interest was a stop at the Kyeburn Diggings Cemetery.

As you would expect with such a bustling mining population, a cemetery was essential.  The historic Kyeburn Diggings Cemetery was the final resting place for around 129 burials during the gold mining era.  Only 73 records remain due to a fire in 1912 which destroyed some of the cemetery record books.

As with most cemeteries, it is quite sobering to visit and walk amongst the old headstones.  There is always a large population consisting of the younger generation who passed away, way before their time.  Sometimes whole families died within a relatively short space of time.

Some of the epitaphs written on the headstones, tell quite a story of a hard life in the early pioneering days.

One very tall and solitary headstone was erected as a memorial to 4 people who perished on the nearby Mt Nobbler.  Two of those perished were the Meikle brothers (just 19 & 12 years old).  The other two were part of the rescue party who set out to find them only to be taken out by an avalanche.  

A tariff board showing service charges for burial in the late nineteenth century proved that it was just as expensive back then to die, as it is today.  The cost of £1 represented a lot of money back then.

Kyeburn Diggings

There was certainly a thriving community at the Kyeburn Diggings.  That was thanks to the discovery of gold and coal in the vicinity.

There were once 3 hotels, 3 stores, a butchery, a bakery and a school.  Apparently, there were also 6 unlicensed ‘grog shanties’.

It is also reported that there were approximately 600 Chinese miners working diggings up on the terrace behind the Danseys Pass Hotel.  This earnt the name ‘Chinaman’s Cutting’.  They had their own store situated there as well.

Today, there are many tell-tales scares of sluicings and tailings, carefully laid and still in formation from centuries earlier.  There are unassuming clumps of trees and decaying walls which is all that is left behind of the many miners and their sometimes large families. 

The diggings stretch over quite a large area, along the Little Kyeburn River.  White cliffs along the rivers, mark the areas where they obliterated the area with high-pressure sluicing guns in order to expose the golden veins.

Mining activity lasted well into the 20th Century, but nowadays, it is carried out by digger and small processing plants.  A far cry from the laborious operations centuries ago.

Danseys Pass Coach Hotel

The Danseys Pass Coach Hotel is the last remaining hotel at Kyeburn Diggings.  When it was built back in the 1860s, it serviced the local gold prospecting community. At that time the population numbered in excess of 2,000 miners.  It was also a welcoming stopover for the horse and bullock teams who traversed the pass on their way to some of the more remote areas of Central Otago.

The original part of the structure was built by a stonemason called ‘Happy Bill’.  He was probably so happy, as he was paid a pint of beer for every schist boulder shaped and laid on the thick walls.  I’m surprised the hotel was finished being built with a payload like that!

The latest extension was added to the hotel in 1990.

Today the hotel still offers accommodation and is still a welcome stopover for thirsty or tired travellers and day-trippers.

Time for Lunch

It was rather fortuitous that it was time for a lunch stop.  We enjoyed a shared antipasti platter, washed down with a nice cold Rosé and beer.

This was enjoyed sitting out on the verandah.  We were surrounded in beautiful, peaceful gardens and of course history of gold mining.  This was evident in the paraphernalia, relics and old stone ruins dotted around the grounds.

Danseys Pass Campsite

Just 500m passed the Danseys Pass Hotel is a campsite administered by DoC.  There were various comments about the campsite on the NZMCA App so it was a good opportunity to drive in for a look.

The roadway into the campsite is overgrown with some lower hanging branches.  Once we made it to the first flat camping spot by the toilets, we found the grass in need of mowing and the non-flush toilets were certainly in need of a good clean.

It is a nice spot beside the river but could certainly do with some TLC.  We would not want to take our caravan in there.  There would be a high risk of some pretty severe scratches along the sides and windows.

Considering the time we visited was just prior to Christmas Day, I would have thought that DoC could have made the effort to spruce up the site somewhat.

Traversing the Pass

Once we left the hotel, it was all uphill towards the summit.  This is some 900m above sea level and passes through the Kakanui Mountains.  This conveniently marks the boundary between Waitaki and Otago districts.

The countryside is steep and quite spectacular.  It is particularly awe-inspiring on a beautiful clear and sunny day.  There are steep hill faces strewn with huge rock forms which lay nestled amongst the yellowy coloured tussock.

Making our way downhill again, we bumped our way through the Kakanui Mountain Range.  This took us towards more open country before unknowingly passing through the settlement of Danseys Pass on Thompsons Creek.  I’m sure many have missed it!

Summary

Danseys Pass is a beautiful example of our wonderful country.  Although a 4WD is not essential, it is still a road that deserves respect.  “Know Before You Go” and check on road closures.  Heavy rain or snow has an adverse effect on if the road remains open.  We find that the NZTA website good, or one of the local district FB pages.