“Losing the bridge separated a community and we are excited to see this bridge open, better than it was before, and once again enabling children to safely travel to school with ease. Reflecting the historical names and the communities it connects felt an appropriate way to symbolise that reconnection,” Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said.
As preparations continue to open the new bridge at Puketapu on August 23, a nod to the history of the original bridge will be reflected in a new name – the Mōteo-Puketapu Bridge.
Local historian and Hastings councillor Michael Fowler has researched the history of this bridge and shared some insights: “Puketapu, which means ‘sacred hill’ in te reo Māori, became a settlement when the 65th Regiment militia, who were building the road to Patoka and Rissington in the 1860s, encamped there, and built a bridge over the Tūtaekurī River to Mōteo.
“Engineer inspections in 1877 found that this structure was unsafe, and there were calls to build a new bridge before flooding in 1897 swept that bridge away and a temporary one was put up on the old piles so drays and livestock could pass over.
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“It’s unclear how long this bridge lasted, but by 1906, a swing bridge was built, at 494 feet [150m] in length believed to have been the longest single-span structure of its type in the North Island at the time.
“The more permanent structure that replaced the swing bridge was opened in 1963, costing £32,000 [$1.497 million].”
Sixty years after that opening, Cyclone Gabrielle hit, and now another chapter in the history of this bridge begins.
An upgraded design for the new bridge means it will be two lanes and have a shared user path for people to bike or walk, which will safely link up to the regional Hawke’s Bay cycle trail.
And its name, the Mōteo-Puketapu Bridge, will reflect its history and function of connecting a community, which despite being divided by the body of water that flows through it, remains deeply intertwined.
The bridge will be formally opened with a dawn blessing and community event on Saturday August 23.