Bridge to Nowhere, Whanganui National Pk

The Bridge to Nowhere is about 27 kilometres up the Whanganui River. “It’s a concrete road bridge spanning the Mangapurua Stream in the Whanganui National Park. It has no roads leading to it, but it’s a popular tourist attraction, accessible by boat or kayak, followed by a 45 minute one-way walk along maintained bush trails.

A wooden swing bridge was first constructed across the Mangapurua Stream in 1919. This connected the isolated valley with the riverboats that brought goods along the awa (river). The settlers however, had always expected that road access would be improved and that a more solid bridge would be built and form part of a road between Raetihi and Taranaki.

Planning for the new bridge started when the timber bridge began to rot. In 1936 the new steel-reinforced concrete bridge was finally opened. It was an impressive sight at nearly 40 metres above the river within the steep ravine walls. Today, you can still see the remains of the old swing bridge from the concrete bridge that replaced it.

Under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act 1915, the Government of the day was opening up land for development by returned servicemen. The Mangapurua Valley Settlement was launched in 1916. It was to be divided into 40 or so bush-covered blocks, ranging in size from around 300 to 1,800 acres.

Mangapurua Bridge is a simply supported arched bridge constructed of reinforced concrete. Approximately 40 metres long, the carriageway is attached to the crown of the arch and is supported on upright members attached to the haunch of the arch. At either end of the carriageway is a pier. The bridge is about 36.6 metres above the Mangapurua Stream and has a concrete balustrade on either side.

Road access was limited and the settlers had to clear their holdings of dense forest and transform them into farm land. Despite the obstacles, the Returned Servicemen were enthusiastic and determined. At the peak of settlement there were 30 farms in Mangapurua and 16 in Kaiwhakauka. The shared experiences through war and these new challenges created a strong bond, and for a number of years the community thrived.

By the time construction was finished, many of the Mangapurua settlers had abandoned their holdings. The physical labour and economic hardship had taken their toll on the returned servicemen and their families. Serious erosion (caused by the clearing of bush), flooding and poor road access were other obstacles that the settlers could no longer overcome.

By 1942 only three of the farmers remained in the valley. They were eventually forced to leave when the Government decided that road access would no longer be maintained. By 1944, everyone had gone. Not only that, they left virtually penniless.

It was a Public Works Department bridge and is a typical example of its genre, that of the arched reinforced concrete bridge. Bridges such as this were built throughout New Zealand. As a result of its scale and reinforced concrete construction, Mangapurua Bridge is the most significant man-made structure in Whanganui National Park. It is almost engulfed by its native bush surrounds and appears somewhat incongruous. Other man-made structures such as roads and fence lines are disappearing.

The Mangapurua Valley Settlement is historically significant. It represents a period of Government-sponsored, Rural Development Schemes that, in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century, aimed to turn undeveloped lands into farmland.

The failure of the settlement led to an increased understanding about New Zealand’s environment and the impact of intensive land clearance and farming activity, and prompted the end to large-scale Resettlement Schemes. It is therefore one of the last, large-scale, back-country pioneering Development Schemes in New Zealand.”

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