Introduction to the Bridge to Nowhere
The remote Mangapurua Valley south of Taumarunui was originally accessed via a gravel road which looped north then west from Raetihi to serve some 35 to 40 farms developed from 1917 as a soldiers’ settlement and provide farmland for returned WWI servicemen. In 1919 river access was provided from the south via a track to a wooden swing bridge across Mangapurua River with a landing on the Whanganui River enabling river boats to provide farm supplies to the valley. The expectation was that a permanent road bridge would replace the swing bridge and the road through the valley would continue south into Taranaki.
DoC (the Department of Conservation) explains on its website that with the condition of the timber bridge deteriorating by the early 1930s a new concrete arch bridge was commissioned, finally opening in 1936 to span across the steep ravine walls 40 metres above the Mangapurua River. Unfortunately extremely difficult farming and economic conditions had resulted in many families abandoning their properties by the end of the 1930’s with only a handful of farm families remaining by 1942. The Government decided to cease road maintenance down to the bridge that year and by 1944 the last families left, virtually penniless. The area become known as “the valley of abandoned dreams” and the concrete arch bridge named the “Bridge to Nowhere” with its only access being from the Mangapurua Landing on the Whanganui River.
Today the bridge is a major visitor attraction within the Whanganui National Park being on the route of the “Whanganui Journey” one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. It is maintained by DoC which carried out major repair work to both the top and underside of the bridge making it one of the best preserved ferro-concrete style bridges of the 1930-1940s in the country.
Visiting the Bridge to Nowhere with Whanganui River Adventures
Following my Forgotten World rail cart trip on Thursday 30 October I relocated to Pipiriki on the Whanganui River on Friday 31 October, travelling west from Taumarunui to turn south to Raetihi just before Ohakune and drive 26km west to reach Pipiriki for my Saturday trip with Whanganui River Adventures (WRA).
WRA is owned and operated by ——-
—— Ken and Josephine Haworth who grew up in the Pipiriki area on properties owned by their families back over several generations. Josephine’s family have been involved in jet boating on the Whanganui River over 3 generations and Ken’s family since the 1970s. Together involved in the jet boating business over many years they established Whanganui River Adventures in 2003 with the WRA headquarters in the old Pipiriki Primary School. The restored school building —–
—– is the tour base, shop and camping reception, with the old sports field —–
—– providing a large area for cabins, motorhomes, caravans and tenting. WRA is the only local Maori owned commercial jet boat tour company based in Pipiriki.
Saturday 1 November became a brilliant sunny day after early morning river mist dispersed. After checking in at ——
—– the office at 9.30 our tour group kitted up —–
—— with life jackets and took a short mini-van ride down to the river terrace —-
—– where the parking area is some 15m above river level. During the June 2015 Whanganui River flooding following a months’ worth of rain falling in 24 hours, river level reach the bottom of the parking sign (to the right of the van).
The steep concrete paved boat launch ramp took us down to —–
—– the jet boat landing area ——-
—– where following boarding ——
—– Ken gave us a safety briefing ——
—– before heading away up river on our 32km, 55 minute trip to Mangapurua Landing and the start of the Bridge to Nowhere walk.
Just upstream from our starting point was a Maori eel trap, ——
—– still operational.
Steep papa banks lined the river as we —–
—– headed upstream to the main gorge where —–
—– near vertical walls enclosed the steadily flowing river.
Ken’s childhood home was on a farm halfway up to our destination ——
—– where on the bank of the river down from the farmhouse and just visible as a brown dot on the ridge leading up from the riverside rock fall left-of-centre lower picture ——
—– the current owners were grazing a very good-looking cattle-beast.
Along the way we stopped at several locations where Ken provided commentary on river features and local history. He pointed out that when Maori canoed north up the river in several places they used prepared holes in the riverbank to —–
—– insert the bottom of long poles to push their way up against the current.
At Mangapurua Landing we disembarked —–
—– for our 40 plus minute walk to the Bridge to Nowhere, a return bush trek of 6km.
River boats dropped cargo here for horses to be loaded with packs of supplies to be carried over the early road into the farms in the Mangapurua valley.
We followed the old road along the hillside —–
—– high above the river ——
—– and into the Mangapurua valley in which the 1936 bridge was built to improve access for the original farmer settlers as well as the WWI returned servicemen farmers and their families.
At the location of the last farmhouse left in the valley Ken gave us a background talk on the difficulties the early farmers faced in clearing bush and raising animals on the steep country subject to flooding and slips during wet winters. The board on Ken’s right ——
—– displayed the names of the last four farming families to leave the area in the late 1930s.
The last section of the old road had recently been damaged —–
—– but a narrow track allowed us to find the “Bridge to Nowhere” a short distance —–
—–further on just behind me.
The 1936 concrete bridge replaced the original narrow suspension bridge.
We spent an hour at the bridge having lunch, followed by a talk from Ken on the history of the area. He explained that the hillsides on the other side of the bridge here was grass farmland in the 1930s, now reverted to second growth bush.
While lunching a chaffinch landed on a tree branch near me —–
—– and with a sideways look —–
—– jumped onto the bridge handrail and showed he was clearly interested in my sandwich.
I hunted around for the best spot —–
—– to take a selfie as the overlook track that allowed visitors to climb up above the bridge for photos had recently been ruined in an earth-slide.
It was then back to the landing to rejoin our jet-boat for the trip home.
The landing area had filled up with several canoe travelers ——
—– some of whom we then passed on the journey south. The blue drums in the canoes are watertight containers for keeping backpacks and camping supplies dry if some misfortune resulted in a canoe overturning.
It was a high-speed dash (50kph) downriver through several areas of rapids which felt like a severely pot-holed road surface as we passed through them.
Where we encountered canoers downstream on our return trip, we carefully slowed right down to minimise our wake as we passed them. They, for their part, —–
—– would turn to face the wave from our wake head-on so as not to be rolled over sideways.
So, back to disembark at Pipiriki Landing to —–
——climb the boat ramp back to our short ride to WRA base and the campground.
Another great day out, this time up the Whanganui River, and returning better informed re the history and location of the Bridge to Nowhere.