Waiau Ferry Bridge

Hanmer Springs Road (State Highway 7A), HANMER SPRINGS

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This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is the original citation considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. This bridge which spans the entrance to the Waiau Gorge is located below the junction to the Hanmer and Waiau Rivers and was opened in 1887. It replaced an earlier bridge sent plummeting into the river in a nor' west gale in 1874. The second bridge, like the first, was designed by John Blackett as Engineer in Chief, and the contract let to Andersons Ltd of Christchurch for £14,000. John Anderson, a Canterbury Pilgrim, had established the province's first foundry in 1857. By the 1880s the firm, still in existence today, had branched out into making heavy bridge trusses and erecting them on site. Andersons Ltd became known nationwide for sound engineering design and construction and the Waiau Ferry Bridge testifies to this reputation. The bridge rests on two inverted triangular frames and at the time was considered 'a model of construction, economic strength, and lightness' in ironwork. It is 77.7m long and 30m above the river. Andersons Ltd marked the opening of the bridge in 1887 with hospitality on such a lavish scale that the name Champagne Flat is still given to the site of the refreshment marquee. The new bridge meant that travellers could visit the healing waters of Hanmer without having to risk getting swept away in the Waiau. The bridge was also an integral part of the early stock route connecting Canterbury with Nelson via Acheron and Tophouse. These factors, combined with the engineering skills involved in its construction, make the Waiau Ferry Bridge of undoubted historical significance.

Waiau Ferry Bridge, Hanmer Springs | Alex Pirie | 23/05/2021 | Alex Pirie
Waiau Ferry Bridge, Hanmer Springs | Alex Pirie | 23/05/2021 | Alex Pirie
Waiau Ferry Bridge, Hanmer Springs. Image courtesy of www.flickr.com | Shellie Evans – flyingkiwigirl | 29/07/2017 | Shellie Evans

Location

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List Entry Information

Overview

Detailed List Entry

Status

Listed

List Entry Status

Historic Place Category 1

Access

Able to Visit

List Number

269

Date Entered

11th November 1983

Date of Effect

11th November 1983

City/District Council

Hurunui District

Region

Canterbury Region

Extent of List Entry

Extent of registration includes part of the land described as Legal Road, Canterbury Land District and the structure known as Waiau Ferry Bridge thereon, as shown on SO 654.

Legal description

Legal Road, Canterbury Land District

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