Bridge history
The Manukau Harbour has always been an important strategic link connecting southern and northern settlements - from Māori portage of waka and supplies through to the more recent motorway bridges and the popular Old Māngere Bridge.
View from Māngere in 1906 of the first Old Māngere Bridge. (Image courtesy of Sir George Grey Special Collections/Auckland Libraries).
Original Māngere bridge in 1907. (Image courtesy of Auckland Libraries Heritage, Footprints 01120).
Legend has it that there was an early crossing point in the area that consisted of a number of steeping stones. At low tide, local iwi used these stones so that they could cross on foot between Māngere and Onehunga. These stones are nowhere to be seen today, covered in several feet of silt.
The first bridge
The first bridge built across the harbour was opened in 1875. It provided an important link between the growing community in Māngere and the bustling port at Onehunga.
The first Old Māngere Bridge 1913. (Image courtesy of Sir George Grey Special Collections/Auckland Libraries).
This bridge was a narrow, one-way wooden structure that quickly deteriorated and was rather hazardous to walk over in high winds and stormy weather. It was also prone to attack by ship worms!
Small bays were later added so pedestrians could avoid animals and horse drawn vehicles. On calm days, the hooves of the animals on the bridge are said to have echoed loudly across the harbour.
The second bridge
The second Māngere Bridge (now known as the Old Māngere Bridge) officially opened in 1915.
Opening the second Old Māngere Bridge in 1915. (Image courtesy of Māngere Bridge Library/Auckland Libraries, Footprints 01132).
The bridge was designed by Mr R.F. Moore who also designed the Grafton Bridge. It cost approximately ₤22,000 - about $0.5 million in today’s terms.
This time the bridge was built using reinforced concrete and it is believed to be the oldest bridge of this type crossing a New Zealand Harbour.
More information about the Old Māngere Bridge and the work undertaken to salvage pieces while Ngā Hau Māngere was being built is available in this report:
Old Māngere Bridge: Heritage Management and Salvage Plan [PDF, 17 MB]
The 1980s
In the 1980s the bridge was in such bad condition a Bailey bridge (temporary bridge) over the existing bridge was built so it could stay open.
Building the new Māngere motorway bridge in 1980. (Image courtesy of Fairfax Media/Auckland Libraries, Footprints 00280).
With the opening of a new motorway crossing over the Manukau Harbour in 1983, the Old Māngere Bridge closed to all traffic except for cyclists and pedestrians.
Sources
- Celebrating Māngere Bridge, Val Payne, 2005
- The Onehunga Heritage, Janice C Mogford, 1989
