{"id":538545,"date":"2026-07-22T12:11:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T12:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/538545\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T12:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T12:11:10","slug":"new-hooker-valley-suspension-bridge-at-aoraki-mount-cook-to-open-next-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/538545\/","title":{"rendered":"New Hooker Valley suspension bridge at Aoraki\/Mount Cook to open next week"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Department of Conservation<\/a> said that at 189m, the new one was the longest suspension bridge in the country.<\/p>\n

Workers faced 180km\/h winds and multiple unseasonal snowfalls to build the new bridge.<\/p>\n

Aoraki\/Mt Cook district operations manager Sally Jones said it was a significant milestone and a testament to the dedication, skill and commitment of everyone involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuilding something of this scale in such extreme conditions is no small achievement, and I am incredibly proud of what our contractors, partners and staff have achieved together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have created a safer, more resilient crossing that will enhance the visitor experience for generations to come. I hope we haven\u2019t put them off bridge building!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe new suspension bridge up the Hooker Valley at Aoraki\/Mount Cook National Park will open to the public next Tuesday. Photo \/ Department of Conservation<\/p>\n

The project cost $4.85 million.<\/p>\n

The new bridge is estimated to bring around $167m in revenue to the Mackenzie District over the next decade.<\/p>\n

The engineer and architect behind the unique bridge design, Dan Crocker of DC Structures Studio, said it was exhilarating that the bridge was finally opening.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just the longest suspension bridge in New Zealand; it\u2019s the longest single span footbridge of any kind in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting the opportunity to design a bridge like this in one of our most iconic locations was an amazing experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait to see people crossing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe new suspension bridge up the Hooker Valley at Aoraki\/Mount Cook National Park will open to the public next Tuesday. Photo \/ Department of Conservation<\/p>\n

The bridge will open to the public next Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Jones reminded people to check forecasts and conditions before heading out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality at this time of year is that the track can be very icy and it can also be extremely cold. People need to be prepared for sub-alpine conditions. You need good solid walking boots or shoes, warm winter clothing, hats and gloves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe views are awe-inspiring, but the weather and the environment can be brutal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best part of the day in winter is often around late morning to mid-afternoon when the sun has warmed things up a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Department of Conservation said that at 189m, the new one was the longest suspension bridge in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[265074,1975,1565,4194,22311,117,111,43,139,1536,69,5493,12066,61,2217,686],"class_list":["post-538545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-aorakimount","tag-at","tag-bridge","tag-cook","tag-hooker","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-next","tag-nz","tag-open","tag-suspension","tag-to","tag-valley","tag-week"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}