Bealey, West Coast Road

This extract originally appeared in New Zealand Photography Collected: 175 Years of Photography in Aotearoa (Te Papa Press, 2025).

Bealey was a major stop on the long, gruelling journey from Canterbury over Arthur’s Pass to the West Coast. Here horses could be changed and passengers rested —and have a beer if they desired, like the man at far left, raising his bottle in salute. A Cobb & Co coach service began in 1866, the same year the road was constructed, in response to the gold rush on the West Coast.