Skippers Road is one of the most outstanding of New Zealand's surviving 19th-century roads. Built in four stages from 1883 to 1890, it was only one lane wide; construction had to overcome significant physical obstacles before completion. The most spectacular of these (Pinchers Bluff) required the removal of large quantities of rock to create a road platform. The road and the landscape it traverses are both spectacular and scenic. The road is also particularly significant as it is most likely the only 19th-century road to have remained in continuous use without major modernization. The road was built to improve access to the upper Shotover River for miners, especially those installing heavy machinery. It also provided better access for canyon residents than the existing Packweg (1863). The heyday of the