Arthur Dudley Dobson Memorial, Stone memorial in Arthur's Pass, New Zealand.
The Arthur Dudley Dobson Memorial is a stone obelisk with bronze plaques at its base located near Arthur's Pass. The structure sits on a rock formation along State Highway 73 at one of the road's highest points.
The memorial was unveiled in 1937 by a former Prime Minister and honors an engineer who found the first European route over the mountain pass in 1864. Dobson's surveying and exploration later enabled the construction of a continuous road crossing the range.
The memorial honors an engineer whose work opened up this mountain region, and whose name remains tied to the landscape today.
The memorial is easily reached from the Arthur's Pass Walking Track and sits directly along the main road through the region. Most visitors stop briefly to read the plaques and take in the views.
The location marks the exact spot where an engineer first discovered a passable route over this previously inaccessible mountain range in 1864. This discovery fundamentally changed the geography and connectivity of the country.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
