Bridges: New Zealand historic heritage topics

Discover some of the historic bridges that can be found on DOC-managed lands.

Because of its climate and topography, New Zealand has more bridges, on a population basis, than any other country in the world.

Bridges of many styles and designs were built for railway, road, horse and foot traffic. Today New Zealanders take most of these bridges for granted. However when a pioneer bridge opened it was often a cause for a district celebration because locals had been living with the brutal realities of life without it.

Because we had so many bridges to build and were not a prosperous country, many cost saving approaches were necessary: wooden bridges, suspension bridges, single lane bridges and combined road / rail bridges. New Zealand engineers went to great lengths to develop economic designs as epitomised by the ‘multiple cable’ suspension bridge which was the subject of a 1922 paper to the Institution of Civil Engineers in London.

In time many of the pioneer bridges have been replaced making the early cost-saving designs just history. DOC is a major manager of bridge heritage which includes a representative collection of pioneering bridges. A few have become regional icons such as the:

Bridge to Nowhere which is a symbol of the Whanganui National Park,
Kawarau Bridge the home of bungee
Percy Burn viaduct.

Others are quiet treasures awaiting your discovery.

Sites on DOC-managed lands:

Bay of Plenty

Karangahake Railway No 3 Western Portal, 1905
Karangahake Railway No.4 Eastern Portal, 1905
Karangahake Railway Bridge No 6 Owharoa, 1905
Karangahake Railway Bridge No 8 Waikino, 1905

East Coast/Hawke’s Bay

Tongariro/Taupo

Hapuawhenua Viaduct, 1908

Central North Island

Springvale Suspension Bridge, Rangitikei River, 1925

Wanganui

Bridge to Nowhere, Mangapurua Valley, 1936

Nelson/Marlborough

Baton Miners’ Bridge, 1880
Kawatiri Bridge, 1920

West Coast

Brunner Bridge, 1877, Managed by Grey District Council
Callery Bridge, 1900
Douglas Bridge, 1900
Fox River Footbridge, 1938
Hendes Gallery, 1907
Mahinapua Creek Railway Bridge, 1905
Nelson Creek Suspension Bridge, 1872
Totara River Railway Bridge, 1905, Owned by WC County Council
Upper Waiho Suspension Bridge, 1900
Welcome Flat Bridge, 1918

Otago

Central Otago Rail Trail Bridges, 1894-1906
Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge, 1880

Southland

Cleddau Horse Bridge, Grave Talbot Track, 1932
Edwin Burn Viaduct, 1916, Private Land
Francis Burn Viaduct, 1916, Owned by Soutland District Council
Island Hill Run Road Bridge
Percy Burn Viaduct, 1916, Owned by Soutland District Council
Sandhill Point Viaduct, 1916, Owned by Soutland District Council
Tutoko Suspension Bridge, Milford Road, 1940
Clifden Suspension Bridge, Clifden, 1899