Jaunting to Oamaru to lap up the creamy granular lustre of the town’s prized trove of whitestone buildings? Why not take the heritage experience one step further with a ride back in time on a rollicking little roadie? Sprawling west from Oamaru, rolling green hills march across the landscape before yielding to the towering Kakanui Mountains. This lonely pocket of undulating hinterland boasts one of New Zealand’s most rustic, off-the beaten-track mountain passes, with a very storied past. Danseys Pass.

Originally, this ancient route was traversed by Maori for hunting and as a greenstone trail en-route to the West Coast. Local Maori showed the track to a North Otago runholder, William Dansey, who was scouting around for a decent pathway to access the Maniototo Plain from the Waitaki Valley.  The road was duly built for the owners of the sheep runs. A journey on this alpine pass is studded with a string of unexpected surprises, despite it being a relatively short drive.

I headed west from the Whitestone City, 25km, following the signposts to sleepy little Ngapara, which holds the unenviable distinction of being one of the earliest  towns on the New Zealand railway network to lose its passenger service. That was in 1926. Situated on a limestone plateau, a flour mill was established in 1896, in the heart of a wheat-growing area. Now known as Milligan’s Eclipse Flour Mill, and now focused on making animal nutrition products, this magnificent limestone building definitely deserves a photo stop.

From there, I followed the signposts to Danseys Pass Rd, but a compelling stopover beckons at Elephant Rocks. Situated in the Maerewhenua Valley, on a private farm with public access, this wondrous collection of large weathered limestone outcrops is scattered across a gentle hillside like giant knuckle bones. Not dissimilar to Castle Hill in the Canterbury High Country, the vast assortment of highly climbable limestone boulders are whimsically shaped and sculpted by wind and rain.

Your mind will conjure up a veritable menagerie of animal shapes from the rocks - certainly not just elephants. They are also full of fossils, including whales, dolphins and penguins. Evidence of the ancient seafloor can be deduced by the horizontal lines and indentations, in the rock. If the setting looks familiar, you can probably thank Disney for that. The area was used as a filming location in the first Chronicles of Narnia movie in 2005, transformed into Aslan’s camp.

(Photo/ Supplied)

Back in the car, the road weaves past arguably one of the quietest golf courses in the land, at Tokarahi, just before the real deal takes hold, entering Danseys Pass Rd. Hacked out of the hillside, the narrow, twisting and unsealed alpine pass road begins with a profoundly steep climb up a gully, on a road so pencil thin, it would be designated one-way, in town. But as you soon discover, very little of the 50km-long road is wide enough for a centre line. Much of it switches between gravel and dry mud. Driver courtesy is your only hope. 

The bulk of the adjoining countryside remains under the purview of expansive high country stations. Wandering, directionless merino sheep and cows regularly bear down on you, roaming unannounced and unexpectedly onto the road. This is their country, not mine, I mused. Wending through this vast and vertiginous of world of majestic parched brown hills, shaped like wizard’s hats, carpeted in scrub and golden tussock, the twisting, turning Maerewhenua River slithers far below along the valley floor, shimmering like a silvery serpent in the sunshine.

Scratchings of supremely isolated civilisation, past and present, speckle the hillsides, as you pass by time-worn stone farmhouses. Some inhabited – most abandoned. Much of Danseys Pass is treeless. Spotting a stand of trees is a sure sign of a recent settlement. The legacy of the goldmining era has left its indelible calling-card, with their water-races permanently scarring the rock-faces.

Higher and higher I climbed, reaching the summit of Danseys Pass, which tops out at 934 metres. The big-sky views stretch far across to the Waitaki River, looking north, and deep into the Maniototo, to the south. After marvelling over the limestone in the Waitaki, the terrain change was highlighted by the steadily growing sight of exposed schist. The biggest surprise was stumbling upon the vivid purple gates of the impeccably manicured Danseys Pass Lavender Farm – in the middle of nowhere.

 

The boutique lavender farm has been Jo and Barry Todd’s labour of love for the past seven years. Why Danseys Pass? Well, just as France’s famed lavender fields are grown at altitude in Provence, Jill and Barry were suitably inspired by the area’s hot, dry summers and pure mountain air. The climate helps produce the highest quality pure oil, which is duly harnessed and used in a range of products, sold on-site, from soaps and candles to lavender ice cream.

A scoop of this fragrant delight is quite ice-cold therapy on a hot and dusty day in Danseys! Barry’s background in landscape gardening has produced the most exquisite botanical setting, with perfectly straight rows of lavender flowers, charming riverstone walls and a sculpture garden. The shop is open over summer from October to April, Friday through Monday. It’s a compelling stop. www.danseyspasslavender.co.nz

20km on, as the sun started gilding the tops of those turreted brown Kakanui  ranges, a dense forest of exotic trees shuffled into view, heralding our arrival at Danseys Pass Coach Inn. The pristine waters of the Kyeburn River trickled by German Creek Reserve, thick with furs, spruces and redwoods, planted by early miners to remind them of home.  The globe-trotting gold prospectors have certainly left their imprint.  The deep cutting on the terrace behind the hotel was worked by the Chinese, as was the adjacent cutting on the road.

Kyeburn Diggings was the northernmost town of the Maniototo – now a ghost town where the sole survivor is the Danseys Pass Coach Inn. Offering hearty fare, boutique accommodation and a superb bar packed with curios, it exudes an unmistakable frontier, back-of-beyond charm. The long and low-slung hotel is an evocative roadside refuge amid the monochromatic terrain of imposing brown hills. First built in 1862, the stonework was constructed by a mason known as Happy Bill, who received one pint for every schist boulder he shaped and laid.

Legend has it that after a particularly tiring day the big-drinking craftsman fell into an open grave at the cemetery, and slept the night away. At its peak in the 1870s, the ephemeral boomtown of Kyeburn Diggings, had swelled in size to over 2000 residents. Schist remnants from some of the other stone buildings from the settlement, and old wagons, are scattered around the inn. Alluvial gold can still be found in local creeks and rivers, according to the locals. Take a walk through Kyeburn Diggings Cemetery, which is still actually open for use.

(Photo/ Supplied)

The 19^th century tariff board shows service charges for burial in the gold mining era. Most of those who were laid to rest here were tragically so young. I enjoyed an overnight stay at the coach inn, after a cracking dinner, feasting from a fabulous menu which included scallops, salmon, duck, pork ribs, lamb shanks and chicken. As you’d expect from a historic inn, open wood fires, wooden floors and exposed beams feature prominently in the lounge and dining rooms.

Accommodations are elegantly furnished and magnificently appointed with plenty of heritage elements to the fore, like wooden joinery, brass fittings and copper piping. Underfloor and radiator heaters ensure you won’t freeze in the winter and the bedding is cloud-comfortable. This historic coach inn is a true hospitality treasure, accentuating the raw drama of a dalliance with Danseys Pass.

Located just 20km from Naseby on Danseys Pass Road, the coach inn is nestled at the base of the Kakanui Mountain Range and alongside the Kyeburn River. Connecting the Waitaki Valley with Central Otago, if you’re travelling in the winter months, the road is frequently closed by snowfall. Whether it’s for a quick driver reviver, a spot of lunch, or a characterful stay, Danseys Pass Coach Inn is a living legacy from the goldrush era. For full details, head to www.danseyspass.co.nz

Mike Yardley is our Travel Correspondent on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.