The main part of the new footbridge being lifted into place on Wednesday. Photo / Supplied
The main part of the new footbridge being lifted into place on Wednesday. Photo / Supplied
Two unique and visually striking steel masts have been lifted into place to complete the centrepiece of Hamilton's newest Waikato River bridge to Peacocke.
The 25m tall masts, known as taurapa, act as a cap on top of the concrete foundations. During the design phase in 2018, the Southern Links Tangata Whenua Working Group (TWWG) presented the concept of a waharoa (gateway) to identify the threshold of crossing the Waikato River into Peacocke as well as for those travelling along the river.
The masts represent a waharoa for river crossing and were inspired by traditional waka taurapa, the carved canoe stern piece.
The artwork on each face of the masts was co-designed by Rotorua-based carver, sculptor, and multi-disciplinary artist Eugene Kara alongside TWWG.
The two masts on the footbridge were inspired by traditional waka taurapa, the carved canoe stern piece. Photo / Supplied
With iwi affiliations to Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Tīpā, Ngāti Kōata, Ngā Rauru, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, and Ngāti Kahungunu, Eugene has been a practicing artist for 30 years. In his time at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) in Rotorua, Eugene established Te Ahi Komau, New Zealand's first Māori foundry and bronze casting facility.
Most recently, he was invited to judge this year's No.8 Wire National Art Award, the annual Fieldays event hosted by Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato and supported by the New Zealand National Fieldays Society.
Each side of the footbridge masts face ngā hau e whā (the four winds) and acknowledges the connection between hapū across the rohe (area) who descend from the ancestral canoe of Tainui.
The predominant motif is the takarangi - an intersecting spiral pattern used in Māori carving and can be commonly seen on the stern posts of a canoe, door lintels of carved meeting houses and other carved forms denoting a significant threshold.
Bridge traffic in and out of Peacocke will pass under the new cycling and pedestrian bridge on the northern side of the river. The footbridge will provide a connection to the nearby network of shared pathways and the Te Awa River Ride.
Multi-disciplinary artist Eugene Kara co-designed the artwork on each face of the footbridge masts. Photo / Supplied
It is part of Hamilton City Council's commitment to making it safer and easier for Hamiltonians to walk, bike and scooter around the city.
The council's executive director of strategic infrastructure, Andrew Parsons, said the footbridge not only serves a functional purpose but is visually stunning and was another exciting milestone for the Peacocke river bridge project. The footbridge was lifted into place by New Zealand's second-largest crawler crane.
The crane was on-site last month lifting the final steel-girder segment of the road bridge into place and shaping the bridge's final form. A proper deck, handrails and lighting are still being added. Inside the bridge's girders are pipes for water and wastewater, and cables for electricity and internet.
The footbridge will provide safe ways to move in and out of the new community to connect with Hamilton East and [the] central city - primary considerations since the start of this project."
The footbridge is made up of five steel sections with more than 200,000 kilograms of weathering steel. A local engineering company, PFS Engineering, fabricated the footbridge and masts at their workshop in Riverlea.
A concept drawing of the footbridge over Wairere Drive at the northern end of the Peacocke river bridge. Image / Supplied
Alongside PFS Engineering, the council also collaborated with Hamilton-based architects Edwards White and structural engineers Bloxam Burnett & Olliver to design and deliver the footbridge.
"We're really proud to be supporting and working with local companies, especially during the past two years of economic challenges," said Parsons.
The council's partnership with the Southern Links Tangata Whenua Working Group meant the footbridge was identified early on as part of the network of cultural expression and symbolism across the Southern Links transport projects.
Parsons said cultural symbolism and Māori designs have been incorporated into the steel masts - known as taurapa - which act as a cap on top of the concrete foundations.
The finishing touches to the footbridge won't be completed until mid-to-late next year and will include shared paths connecting each side, plantings, seating and signs.
"While the structure is in place now, it will remain closed to keep our community and crews safe while the Wairere Drive extension and Waikato River bridge are completed underneath," said Parsons.
The Peacocke bridge development celebrated a milestone with the final girder segment now in place. Photo / Supplied
The footbridge will be opened in mid-to-late 2023 as part of the new Waikato River bridge project and included in the Hamilton section of the Te Awa River Ride.
The whole bridge project represents the city's biggest investment in the environment and ecological outcomes, Parson says.
"If you look at the bridge - with no central pier in the river - there are large areas underneath where bats can fly. These design elements contribute to the environmental outcomes from our investment."
To get the best view of activity at the bridge site, people are encouraged to access the shared path between Hamilton Gardens and Howell Ave off Cobham Drive.
The $160.2 million contract for the bridge was signed two years ago, with work starting in October 2020. It's the largest capital contract Hamilton City Council has awarded, and also includes the building of new roads in Peacocke.
Peacocke, one of Hamilton's new suburbs, is south of Glenview, Fitzroy and Riverlea, and is being built with support from the Government's Housing Infrastructure Fund.
The fund's contribution is comprised of a $180.3m 10-year interest-free loan and $110.1m of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency subsidies.
The Peacocke programme also includes a transport network that caters for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists, parks, and strategic water, wastewater and stormwater networks.
Other work includes protecting and enhancing the environment, including the extensive gully system, opening the area to the Waikato River, and investigating community facilities.
Once completed, Peacocke will be home to up to 20,000 Hamiltonians.
