 A dray track was cut through Burkes Pass in 1857-58.Settlers and bullock teams soon found The Long Cutting was the easier of the two passageways to negotiate, becoming the main thoroughfare for travellers in to the Mackenzie, a vast land known by Maori for its plentiful supply of wekas on the plains and eels in the streams and lakes.With travel slow and arduous, the need for a resting place for weary travellers soon became evident.