[1] The gorge is a 40-minute drive of 33 kilometres (21 mi) inland from Hokitika, located in the South Island's West Coast.

Whitcombe and Joseph Lauper made this crossing in 1863 (Whitcombe would soon after drown on the same journey in the Taramakau River) searching for a suitable road link between Canterbury and the West Coast to profit from the West Coast gold rush (the route was far too challenging and soon after, Arthur's Pass was chosen instead).

Gerhard Mueller, the chief surveyor for Westland, revived the discussion about a road over Whitcombe Pass in 1880 but nothing came of this.

In March 1914, William Massey was the first prime minister to visit the gorge and he was most impressed by the scenic beauty.

Some years later, the West Coast Treetop Walk at Lake Mahinapua was instead built by Australian eco-tourism company 'Canopy01'.

A simple suspension bridge suitable to get people and livestock across the river opened in October 1933, jointly funded by the government (NZ£100) and Westland County Council (NZ£250).