Loading

< Back

Matapihi Railway Bridge

Est. 1924.  Te Awanui | Tauranga Harbour is spanned from Tauranga to Matapihi by this 475ft (144m) long bridge. The steel plate girder bridge has 19 spans, each 25ft long. Work began in 1920 but was delayed by steel shortages following World War II. The 5¼ ton girders were imported from England, assembled at Mount Maunganui, then transported by train to the site. The first train crossed the bridge at 4.10pm on 21 June 1924. The Matapihi Bridge Walkway provides an access route for pedestrians and cyclists between Matapihi, the Bayfair/Arataki area and the CBD. 

Map No. 64.
The Strand Extension,
Tauranga, 3110.


More on this story with images coming soon. Meanwhile below is a 1916 print from the Tauranga Heritage Collection, by Robert Meers, of the bridge under construction.
Matapihi Bridge under construction