Te Araroa Trail: Bridge over Whangaehu River will make 32km of road walking redundant

(From left): Te Araroa Trust members John Birch, Dan Radford and Brian Doughty with the design for a new swing bridge that will cross the Whangaehu River. Photo / Mike Tweed

A project to build a 120-metre swing bridge – the longest in the country – over the Whangaehu River is gathering momentum, but a funding shortfall remains.

It is being led by the Te Araroa Trust, which oversees a 3000km walk from Cape Rēinga to Bluff. Once completed, the bridge will enable walkers to bypass approximately 32km of roads between Whanganui and Turakina, including a 2km stretch along State Highway 3. Instead, the trail will follow the coast from South Beach to Turakina Beach, with a brief detour to cross the river.

Speaking at a gathering near the bridge site, trust chairman John Birch said it wanted to contribute positively to places the trail passed through.

“In my view, this bridge is one of those initiatives,” he said. “It will allow one of our key objectives – getting people off state highways – and will open up a viable walkway for the local community.” Around $360,000 has been raised from lotteries and the New Zealand Community Trust, and another $250,000 is required. Birch said if the money is secured, the goal would be to open the bridge by early 2026 at the latest.

A visualisation of the swing bridge that could be erected across cross the Whangaehu River by the end of the 2025/26 summer. Photo / Frame Group

Trail manager Dan Radford said the design was complete, resource consent had been lodged and the concession process with the Department of Conservation was under way. The river runs through the Whitiau Scientific Reserve.

“This is a fantastic region you guys live in and call home, and unfortunately, for Te Araroa, it’s tainted by a very unpleasant road walk to get from Whanganui down to Koitiata [adjacent to Turakina Beach],” he said. “The bridge is the missing link and a critical bit of infrastructure.”

It would be the longest swing bridge in New Zealand at 120m long and 750cm wide. At present, the longest is the 110m Buller Gorge swing bridge. Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa environment general manager Chris Shenton said the iwi supported the project, particularly because it took the trail away from “dangerous roadsides”.

“This is going to be a key crossing that invokes Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika – the status bestowed upon the Whangaehu River and catchment,” he said. “It means we have to uphold certain kawa and tikanga in regard to dealing with any developments that happen within the awa.”

Chief executive Matt Claridge said the bridge would be a good community amenity and was consistent with the trust’s philosophy: “Basically, make everything better.”

(From left): Ngāti Apa's Terina Hamilton, Rakautaua 9 Ahu Whenua trustee Davey Paki, Ngāti Apa's Grant Huwyler (Group CEO), Chris Shenton (GM Environment) and Leanne Hiroti, and Rakautaua 9 Ahu Whenua Trust chairman Casey Paki. Photo / Mike Tweed

“We are really happy to be doing this in partnership and not flying solo.”

“The design has taken into account the wishes of both [the Department of Conservation] and the landholders on either side.

“It’s [for] pedestrians and bikes but not motorbikes. That reduces the load on it and means we can build a more efficient bridge.”

When the bridge is built, part of the trail will run through land owned by Rakautaua 9 Ahu Whenua Trust and farmer Rob Craig. Trust chairman Casey Paki said it was a beautiful part of the country.

“It’s wild, windy and crazy but that’s why I love it,” he said. “We are lucky – we have the opportunity to hang out here quite a lot, so why not open it up for everyone else? This is an opportunity to share it with whanau and others coming through the area.”

Claridge said ideally, there would be a second bridge over the Turakina River in the future.

“We are just working with what we can at the moment, and this [the Whangaehu River bridge] is the necessary one for that initial momentum. “There is a real job to do – to finish the trail and help to connect communities.

“It is going to get built.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.