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

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 ...

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. Th ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

. 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, connecting New Plymouth with Bell Block. The extension was made possible by a special agreement between Ngāti Tawhirikura

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or " clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally ope ...

and the

New Plymouth District Council New Plymouth District Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Ngāmotu) is the territorial authority for the New Plymouth District of New Zealand. The council consists of the mayor of New Plymouth, , and 14 ward councillors. Composition Councillo ...

. A historic

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites ...

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

Musket Wars The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori between 1807 and 1837, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an intertribal arms ra ...

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

Design and construction

The bridge was commissioned by

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

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 (), also known as Mount Egmont, is a dormant stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is the second highest point in the North Island, after Mount Ruapehu. The mountain has a seco ...
. The sacred mountain is framed within the skewed arch when viewed while leaving the sacred ground – promising what is eternal.

Engineering design

The 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 of concrete have been used for its construction. The bridge deck has been placed at above normal flow level to withstand both floods and

lahar A lahar (, from jv, ꦮ꧀ꦭꦲꦂ) is a violent 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. Lahars are extreme ...

s from volcanic eruptions. A major challenge was to transport the 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 *2011 Taranaki Master Builders supreme award for a commercial facility

References

External links

Coastal Walkway Extension
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rewa Rewa Bridge, Te Steel bridges in New Zealand Cycleways in New Zealand Cyclist bridges in New Zealand Pedestrian bridges in New Zealand Bridges in Taranaki Buildings and structures in New Plymouth Tourist attractions in Taranaki Bridges completed in 2010 2010s architecture in New Zealand Transport buildings and structures in Taranaki