At the Te Arai swing footbridge reopening in Manutūkē are (from left) Dave Hadfield, fire chief Karl Scragg, residents Thelma Karaitiana, Stan Pardoe and Dave Pardoe, council communications adviser Sophie Rishworth, resident Kathy Gower, Roadnoise’s Kate Reynolds, and residents Samuel Lewis, Lillian Horsfall and Reverend Barry Ria.
At the Te Arai swing footbridge reopening in Manutūkē are (from left) Dave Hadfield, fire chief Karl Scragg, residents Thelma Karaitiana, Stan Pardoe and Dave Pardoe, council communications adviser Sophie Rishworth, resident Kathy Gower, Roadnoise’s Kate Reynolds, and residents Samuel Lewis, Lillian Horsfall and Reverend Barry Ria.
The Manutūkē community have walked down memory lane to celebrate the reopening of the Te Arai swing bridge that connects their township.
The footbridge has been a special feature of Manutūkē for generations and is unique to Tairāwhiti.
It had been out of action for six months after a tree came down, damaging parts of the bridge.
Reverend Barry Ria of Rongowhakaata iwi reopened the repaired bridge on Wednesday with a karakia to a group of Manutūkē residents, with representatives from Gisborne District Council.
Manutūkē has around 500 residents and they are spread out.
When the footbridge was out of action, it effectively cut the community in two.
Te Arai River runs through the township and the swing footbridge across it connects whānau to the school, their neighbours and to the petrol station to get daily bread and milk.
When the bridge couldn’t be used, the alternative for young people, or those without cars, was to walk along the State Highway 2 vehicle bridge which has no pedestrian walkway.
Ohako Marae chair Dave Pardoe gives a big smile and wave as he crosses the Te Arai swing footbridge at Wednesday’s reopening. Behind him are Manutūkē resident Aroha Ria, Dave Hadfield of the council and Manutūkē resident Samuel Lewis.
Council journeys manager Dave Hadfield said the reopening might seem small in the scale of recovery work this region has ahead of it.
“There’s still a lot to do around the region however the completion of this project is going to make a huge difference to the Manutūkē community’s wellbeing,” Hadfield said.
“It’s nice to mark these wins along the way.”
Manutūkē fire chief Karl Scragg was acknowledged for keeping everyone informed of the progress over the six months the bridge was out of use. Scragg made sure the community knew the time frames and updated them with information when he got it from the council.
Before the swing bridge was installed in the 1950s the community had a one-way vehicle bridge, built around 1935 when State Highway 2 went through Manutūkē.
It was called the Te Arai Main Highway Bridge.
In 1955 it collapsed suddenly during a calm patch of weather.
Speaking at the reopening, Ohako Marae trustee Stan Pardoe said their elders at the time said the taniwha had been disturbed.
A Bailey bridge was installed that same year to keep the community connected and then the swing bridge followed.
The failure of the bridge in 1955 led to State Highway 2 being realigned, with a new vehicle bridge that cut off Manutūkē from the main road.
The Te Arai swing footbridge is the only one of its type in Tairāwhiti, and specialist parts had to be ordered.
It’s a feature of the township.
The bridge is used for wedding photography, tamariki use it to get to school and it connects part of the township to Ohako Marae.
Pardoe said if you grew up in Manutuke, “you’ve crossed this bridge”.
Te Arai footbridge re-opening huge for Manutuke community’s well-being
“Thank you to the council,” Pardoe said. “You’ve done a good job of opening it up again, there are a lot of memories down here.”
Hadfield thanked the Manutūkē community for their patience while the bridge was closed for repair. “It was great to hear the stories shared as the Te Arai swing footbridge was reopened.
