Traversing the stream in Invercargill’s Otepuni Gardens, this concrete footbridge has historical significance.

The first general legislation providing for the establishment and administration of public reserves was the Public Reserves Act 1854. On 25 January 1882, what is now known as the Town Belt was transferred to the Borough of Invercargill, held in trust ‘for purposes connected with the improvement and benefit of the city and to be used for the purpose of public pleasure’.

Invercargill City Council’s Town Belt Management Plan notes that in the early years the Otepuni Gardens were simply known as the “Town Gardens” and the stream was referred to as the “Puni”, or occasionally misspelt “Puny”. The Otepuni Gardens comprise the four blocks bounded by Clyde Street to the west and Ness Street to the east. The current bridge is located in Block II (also known as Block No.2).

Bridging the stream was an early concern. The earliest bridge in Block 2 was built in 1868, and taken down in 1891 after flood damage. Invercargill Borough Council accounts indicate that a bridge was erected in Block 2 in 1909. Whether or not it is the current single span concrete bridge with ornamental hand rail, it is not possible to tell. Flooding remained a concern into the twentieth century. The concrete retaining walls along the banks of the Otepuni were constructed in 1919 to prevent the gardens from being flooded during periods of high tides. The walls were completed in 1923. In 2018, the bridge remains a significant feature in the Otepuni Gardens.