Te Rewa Rewa Bridge is a pedestrian and cycleway bridge across the Waiwhakaiho River

Waiwhakaiho River

The Waiwhakaiho River is a river of the Taranaki Region of New Zealand's North Island. One of many rivers and streams radiating from the slopes of Taranaki/Mount Egmont, it flows initially northeast before veering northwest to reach the Tasman Sea close to the New Plymouth suburb of Fitzroy...

 at New Plymouth

New Plymouth

New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....

 in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. Its spectacular shape and setting make it a popular landmark.

Location and history

The bridge is part of the northern extension to the Coastal Walkway

New Plymouth Coastal Walkway

The Coastal Walkway is an award-winning, long walkway located along the coast of New Plymouth, New Zealand. The length of the walkway stretches out from Hickford Park, in the centre of the city, to Bell Block, north-east of New Plymouth...

, connecting New Plymouth with Bell Block

Bell Block

Bell Block is a town in Taranaki, New Zealand. State Highway 3 runs through it. It is 6 km north-east of the centre of New Plymouth and 1 km from the outer edge of New Plymouth at Waiwhakaiho. Waitara is about 9 km to the north-east...

. The extension was made possible by a special agreement between Ngāti Tawhirikura hapu

Hapu

A hapū is sometimes described as "the basic political unit within Maori society".A named division of a Māori iwi , membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups. Generally hapū range in size from 150-200 although there is no upper limit...

 and the New Plymouth District Council. An historic pā

Pa (Maori)

The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...

 is located on the north river bank and this was the site of a battle during the Musket Wars

Musket Wars

The Musket Wars were a series of five hundred or more battles mainly fought between various hapū , sometimes alliances of pan-hapū groups and less often larger iwi of Māori between 1807 and 1842, in New Zealand.Northern tribes such as the rivals Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua were the first to obtain...

; the site is a burial ground (Rewa Rewa). The bridge is located in a rural area.

Design and Construction

The bridge was commissioned by New Plymouth District Council and designed and constructed by a consortium of Whitaker Civil Engineering, Novare Design Ltd, Apex Consultants Ltd (now CPG) and Fitzroy Engineering.

Bridge Design

The designer, Peter Mulqueen, is quoted as saying he understood that the bridge should "touch lightly" on the Rewa Rewa side of the river, in order to honour the deceased. This ruled out heavier designs like cable stays and angular truss structures. Mulqueen wanted to achieve a bridge with a "harmonious and dignified character".

With the ribs yielding to the prevailing wind, the bridge is aligned to Mount Taranaki

Mount Taranaki

Mount Taranaki, or Mount Egmont, is an active but quiescent stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Although the mountain is more commonly referred to as Taranaki, it has two official names under the alternative names policy of the New Zealand...

. The sacred mountain is framed within the skewed arch when viewed while leaving the sacred ground – promising what is eternal.

Engineering Design

The 68.8 metres (225.7 ft) bridge is designed to accommodate an ambulance and other service vehicles. It is made of three steel tubes; two beneath the deck and the remaining one, together with 19 ribs, forming a distinctive arch. 85 t of fabrication steel, 62 t of reinforcing steel and 550 m³ (19,423.1 cu ft) of concrete have been used for its construction. The bridge deck has been placed at 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) above normal flow level to withstand both floods and lahar

Lahar

A lahar is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term is a shortened version of "berlahar" which originated in the Javanese language of...

s from volcanic eruptions.

A major challenge was to transport the 85 metres (278.9 ft) long and 85 t superstructure onto the site, including across a private golf course. River contamination and disturbance was to be avoided, so no temporary piers were used.

Opening

The bridge was officially opened on 5 June 2010. In July 2010, its first full month of operation, the bridge was used by 55,756 cyclists and pedestrians.

Awards

• 2011 Arthur G. Hayden Medal for a single recent outstanding achievement in bridge engineering demonstrating innovation in special use bridges.
• 2011 Ingenium Excellence Awards.
• 2011 International Footbridge Award in the aesthetics category (medium span).
• 2011 Supreme Award from industry group Roading New Zealand

External links

• Coastal Walkway Extension