Walk Details

NZ Walking Routes > Taranaki > Whanganui - Bridge to Nowhere Walk

Whanganui - Bridge to Nowhere Walk

Location

There are two ways to access the bridge site, either by a gentle 40 minute walk from the Mangapurua Landing on the Whanganui River, or by a two day tramp from Whakahoro Hut to the north via the Kaiwhakauka and Mangapurua Valleys.

Description

This 3 km walk taking about one and a half hours return. It follows the Mangapurua Stream to the bridge from the Mangapurua Landing on the Whanganui River.

This large concrete bridge is an icon within the Whanganui National Park and a major visitor destination.

The bridge was constructed in the mid-1930s to provide road access to the lower and middle valley farms known as the Mangapurua Valley Soldiers Settlement. By the time it was completed these areas of the Mangapurua Valley were deserted, the bridge rarely used and the construction of the road to the Whanganui River abandoned.

The “Bridge to Nowhere” is the largest and most intact structure relating to the former Mangapurua Valley Soldiers Settlement and has an Historic Places Trust Category I listing. The bridge remains as a trampers’ bridge at the southern access point to the Mangapurua Valley.

Distance

3.0 km

Duration

1.5 hours

Level

Easy

Amenities

• Historical
• Huts

Source

www.doc.govt.nz

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