The first
Pākehā to explore the valley was
Julius Von Haast. The valley was named after the biologist
Thomas Henry Huxley. The Huxley valley previously had the
Māori name (sometimes given as ), meaning 'stake' or 'peg'. The northern branch of the valley contains Brodrick Pass, called in Māori , meaning ‘a thief who steals without qualms or care for the thoughts of others’. ==References==