Driving Notorious Skippers Canyon, New Zealand's Most Dangerous Road

A virtual drive into Skippers Canyon, claimed to be New Zealand's most dangerous road due to it's narrowness and sheer vertical drops.

Skippers Canyon is a historic and scenic gorge located north of Queenstown, New Zealand, and is approximately 22 kilometers in length. The Shotover River, one of New Zealand's richest gold-bearing rivers, runs through the canyon.

The history of Skippers Canyon is closely tied to the gold rush that began in the late 1800s. At first, there were no tracks or roads in the canyon, and miners traveled with their horses on rough and steep tracks. However, these tracks were unsafe and difficult to use for transporting supplies and heavy machinery. Demand for a proper road grew, and Skippers Road was surveyed around 1883. The construction of the road took seven years and cost a great deal due to the soft local rock that quickly turns into dust or greasy mud under traffic conditions. Initially, motor vehicles were banned from driving on the road at the beginning of the 1900s.

Today, Skippers Road remains mostly one-lane, narrow, and steep with sheer drops of several hundred meters. It is notable for being the first site where hydroelectricity was generated to power goldmining in New Zealand, in 1886. The road has been the subject of numerous books and stories due to its historical significance and challenging conditions.
#queenstown #4x4 #pov