Story: West Coast region
Norma Holyoake, wife of Prime Minister Keith Holyoake, cut the ribbon to open the final section of the Haast Road at Knights Point on 6 November 1965. The ceremony itself, held in heavy rain, was an anticlimax. One of the local residents cut the ribbon just before Mrs Holyoake arrived, leading to a hasty replacement, and the road was temporarily closed by a slip soon afterwards. Nevertheless the opening of the Haast road had a huge impact on South Westland by reducing its isolation. The tourist industry grew rapidly as it was possible for visitors to do a circuit around the central part of the South Island and visit the glaciers.
About this item
Archives New Zealand – Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga
Reference: Pictorial Parade 172. National Film Unit, 1965
Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.