Urenui River Swing Bridge - 1990

The Urenui River Swing Bridge is situated off Epiha Street, Urenui. There have been several bridges on or near this site. The first, a wooden structure below the present swing bridge, was built in the late 1860s or 70s and is shown in a map of the township lithographed in 1880. This bridge, reportedly riddled with ship-worm, eventually fell into the river about 1882. The first swing bridge was opened in 1900 but partially collapsed in 1911 when a wire broke with "about 30 or 40 men and boys on it watching the game (of water polo) when, without warning, the bridge collapsed, turning on its side and sending all on it into the water." (Taranaki Daily News, 7 Feb 1911) This bridge was, apparently, renewed in 1928 but it was damaged by a flood in 1990 and was replaced by the present structure.

Some of the remaining wooden piles of the first bridge may be seen a few metres downstream of the present swing bridge. The swing bridge crosses to the Urenui Golf Course, Urenui Beach and the nearby Te Rangi Hīroa (Sir Peter Buck) Birthplace cairn.