Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge

The Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge is a bridge which runs over the Kawarau River in the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The bridge is mainly used for commercial purposes by the AJ Hackett Bungy Company for the purposes of bungy jumping; the site was the world's first commercial bungy jumping site. The bridge also forms part of the Queenstown Trail which allows walkers/runners and bikers to pass over the river. The bridge is inside a Department of Conservation reserve.[1]

Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge
Coordinates
CrossesKawarau River
LocaleOtago
Heritage statusCategory I historic place
The new highway bridge over the Kawarau River

Location

The bridge is between the start of the Crown Range Road and Gibbston within the Kawarau Gorge which is in the Wakatipu Basin. It is 43 metres (141 ft) above the Kawarau River.

History

The bridge was designed by Harry Higginson.[2] The bridge was completed in late 1880, and formed a key access route to the Central Otago goldfields. It was replaced by a new highway bridge on State Highway 6 in 1963. It is classified by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic place.[3] The bridge is today a visitors attraction featuring commercialized zipline and bungee jumping.

Name

The bridge is known by a variety of names including; Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge, Kawarau Suspension Bridge, Kawarau bridge and Kawarau Bungy Bridge.

  • View of the old suspension bridge above the Kawarau River
  • The old Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge
  • Bungee jumping from the old Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge
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References
  1. "Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge". Heritage. IPENZ Engineers New Zealand.
  2. "Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge". www.heritage.org.nz. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  3. Astwood, Karen. "Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge" (PDF). IPENZ Engineering Heritage Register Report. IPENZ Engineers New Zealand.
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