“Bridge to Nowhere” in Whanganui National Park, New Zealand

One of the most visited attractions in Whanganui National Park, New Zealand, is the “Bridge to Nowhere” -  an abandoned and isolated concrete bridge spanning the Mangapurua Stream in the middle of the rainforest. With no roads leading to it, the bridge looks ridiculously out of place. It is accessible only by jet boat or kayak, followed by a 40 minute hike along maintained bush trails. The bridge was built across the deep Mangapurua Gorge to provide access to an area where the government was opening up land in 1917 for pioneering farmers, mainly soldiers who had returned from World War I. The intention was to build roads to it later, but the area proved to be so remote and unsuitable for farming that the venture failed and the farms reverted to native bush. Photo credit Previously, a wooden swing bridge for horses provided access to the valley. After years of agitation from the local community, a more robust concrete road bridge was constructed in 1936. However it was used for only six years. The Mangapurua Valley Soldiers Settlement walked off their land in 1942 after decades of battling hardship caused by the valley's poor soils. The forest grew back, obliterating all signs of habitation except for the bridge. A sign on the bridge tells the story: Started in January 1935 and completed in June 1936, this bridge was built by the Raetihi firm of Sandford and Brown, for the Public Works Department. It is 130 feet long, and 125 feet above the stream. The cost of labour was 598 pounds 11 shillings 7 pence, and cartage of all materials (via the Mangapurua Valley road) cost 419 pounds 14 shillings. Unfortunately the cost of materials was not recorded. Aggregate for the concrete is said to have been transported from the Rangitikei River. The completion of the bridge was delayed considerably due to floods, slips, and the consequent delay in the supply of materials.