Danseys Pass (often incorrectly referred to as ''Dansey's Pass'' or ''Dansey Pass'') (el. 935 m.) is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

located in the

Kakanui Range The Kakanui Range (or Kakanui Mountains) is a range of high hills located inland from Oamaru in the South Island of New Zealand. The range forms a boundary between the valley of the Waitaki River to the north and the high plateau known as the ...

in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. The pass itself is located at the boundary of the Waitaki and the

Central Otago Central Otago is an area located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River ...

districts. In this location, it is also the boundary between the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

and

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

regions. The road lies between the Maniototo plain (part of the

Taieri River The Taieri River (a misspelling of the original Māori name ''Taiari'' ) is the fourth-longest river in New Zealand and is in Otago in the South Island. Rising in the Lammerlaw Range, it initially flows north, then east around the Rock and Pill ...

water catchment) and the northern foothills of the Kakanui Mountains (part of the

Waitaki River The Waitaki River is a large braided river in the South Island of New Zealand. It drains the Mackenzie Basin and runs south-east to enter the Pacific Ocean between Timaru and Oamaru on the east coast. It starts at the confluence of the Ōhau Ri ...

catchment). Much of the road going over Danseys Pass is unsealed and is occasionally cut directly from the

Haast Schist The Haast Schist, which contains both the Alpine and Otago Schist, is a metamorphic unit in the South Island of New Zealand. It extends from Central Otago, along the eastern side of the Alpine Fault to Cook Strait. There are also isolated outcrop ...

bedrock. The road was built for the owners of large sheep runs, the brothers Allan McLean and

John McLean John McLean (March 11, 1785 – April 4, 1861) was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice of the Ohio and United States Supreme Courts. He was often discu ...

. Though not a major arterial road, the pass is a fairly well-used link between the towns of

Naseby Naseby is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census was 687. The village is north of Northa ...

and Ranfurly in the south and Duntroon, in North Otago. Also, if State Highway 1 between Hampden and

Moeraki Moeraki is a small fishing village on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It was once the location of a whaling station. In the 1870s, local interests believed it could become the main port for the north Otago area and a railwa ...

is closed, it is the closest detour, despite adding over to the journey. The

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

of Danseys Pass is located approximately halfway between the pass and Duntroon on the eastern side within the Waitaki District. The historic Danseys Pass Coach Inn/Danseys Pass Hotel is located on the western side within the Central Otago District, at the locality known as Kyeburn Diggings or Upper Kyeburn, north of

Kyeburn Kyeburn is a small settlement in Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and L ...

. The pass and road are named after William Heywood Dansey. He was the lessee of the Otekaike run from 1857 to 1871 who, in 1855 with three companions, was the first European to cross the pass in search for land in the Maniototo district.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Danseys Pass
Maniototo Promotions information on Danseys PassDanseys Pass Coach Inn
Landforms of Otago Landforms of the Canterbury Region Mountain passes of New Zealand