Manawatū-Tararua Highway: Mind-blowing road preview as part of Dannevirke men’s cancer support group tour

Progress on the Parihaki Island Bridge showing the special Traveller structure (in orange) for pouring concrete.

The opportunity to go with the Dannevirke men’s cancer support group over the Te Ahu a Turanga Manawatū-Tararua Highway last week was a mind-blowing experience.

The men’s cancer support group gets a commentary from project manager Tony Adams.

From the sheer astonishing statistical avalanche of information – cost $750 million ($3m-$4m per week), 350 staff who have put in two million hours already, driving machinery chewing up 10,000 litres of fuel per week – to the sheer magnitude of the highway itself, I, like the rest of my group were totally gob-smacked by the scale of the operation and the complexity of the task.

Driving up through the cutting from the Ashhurst side.

Among the machinery and windmills on the top.

Coming down through the cutting towards Woodville.

From building three bridges – one to be the largest cantilevered bridge in the Southern Hemisphere – to shifting six million cubic metres of earth to flatten hills and fill valleys, the whole experience is hard to take in.

Being transported by senior staff in mini-vans with well-informed commentary just added to the whole experience. The staff are full of pride for the way the project is going.

Not one piece of the highway is sealed yet but cast your mind forward to mid-2025 and if you have travelled Transmission Gully this is what you will see.

Definitely book for the walk in January if you are fit enough.