Bridges, footbridges and fording Rivers and Creeks Tairua Valley

Pepe Bridge with Pepe footbridge  across Pepe Estuary Outlet  June 2019 - Photo courtesy  Chris Ball

Known as Pepe Bridge, Tairua this is one of three well known one way bridges in the Tairua Valley crossing streams aka tributaries ,  which lead into the main Tairua River. Pepe bridge at the outlet  into Tairua of the Pepe estuary, Hikuai bridge across the Hikuai Stream and Graham's Creek bridge across Graham's Creek on SH25 - just before the winding road upwards past Te Karo ( Sailors grave ) road entry.

The Tairua River with four branches itself, winds down the Tairua Valley. From the river's source , just south of the area known as the wires,   to the sea and harbour mouth between Paku maunga and the sandspit of Pauanui. Throughout settlement of this valley, from iwi, to early gum digging, gold mining and kauri logging, a way across the Tairua River, its branches and tributaries was sought. 

The Auckland Star writing about  a tour of shareholders and directors, travelling from Tairua Landing, to Golden Belt battery at Neavesville in 1906, reported  that:

" The river had to be  forded eleven times before the Golden Belt  battery was reached"  

Drawn by C. L. Kerry. NEAVESVILLE, SHOWING THE BLOW FROM WHICH GOLD WAS TAKEN.

Photo Courtesy Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-18960530-620-2

The early days of the Tairua Broken Hills Gold Mining Company, before bridges were constructed , necessitated other methods to cross the Tairua river with all that heavy machinery and equipment, Below a team of bullocks fording the river in 1899. 



FORDING THE TAIRUA ON THE ROAD TO THE BROKEN HILL MINE, THAMES.

Photo courtesy  Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-18991104-828-1  Taken from the New Zealand Graphic, 4 November, 1899, p828

Fording not so for crossing the outlet of the Pepe Estuary in 1899. Back in the early 1880's, it is said that the mill hands of the then Union Sash and Door mill, on the shores of the Tairua harbour and river, constructed a footbridge.


Local folklore for our modern day times in the 21st Century has it and also written by NZ Herald in 2014,  that a good swim is jumping off the Pepe footbridge into the water -  at high tide of course.

Reference Source:

• E.D. Havill ( Bill) Mining Venture at Neavesville Ohinemuri Regional History Journal 19, June 1975
• Auckland Star 25 April 1906 Page 9
• NZ Herald 24 January 2014