Wards Pass
Encyclopedia
Wards Pass is an alpine pass located in the Rachel Range of the Inland Kaikoura Ranges of New Zealand
's northern South Island
. It lies between the valleys of the upper Acheron and Awatere River
s.
The pass is on the Molesworth-Hanmer Road within Molesworth Station
, eight kilometres southwest of the Station headquarters.
The HVDC Inter-Island
line transverses the pass on its route between Benmore Dam
and the Cook Strait cable terminal at Fighting Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's northern South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. It lies between the valleys of the upper Acheron and Awatere River
Awatere River
The Awatere River is a large river flowing through Marlborough, New Zealand. Flowing along the trace of the active Awatere Fault, it runs northeast through a straight valley to the west of the Inland Kaikoura mountains...
s.
The pass is on the Molesworth-Hanmer Road within Molesworth Station
Molesworth Station
Molesworth Station is New Zealand's largest farm, at over 1,800 km², and supports the country's biggest herd of cattle. It also hosts government science programs, such as research into bovine tuberculosis and related research into possums....
, eight kilometres southwest of the Station headquarters.
The HVDC Inter-Island
HVDC Inter-Island
The HVDC Inter-Island link is a high-capacity, bipolar high-voltage direct current transmission system connecting the electricity transmission networks of New Zealand's two main islands to form the National Grid. The HVDC link is owned and operated by state-owned transmission company Transpower...
line transverses the pass on its route between Benmore Dam
Benmore Dam
Benmore Dam is the largest dam within the Waitaki power scheme, located in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand's South Island. There are eight other power stations in the valley....
and the Cook Strait cable terminal at Fighting Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.