Bridge to Nowhere

Fern and flax cloaked gorges reveal a large concrete bridge built in 1936 to give pioneering farmers access to their holdings in an area called the Valley of Abandoned dreams. 

The bridge now stands as a poignant memorial to the abandoned hopes and dreams of returning WW1 servicemen that settled the remote Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka Valleys under a government rehabilitation programme.  Transforming virgin native forest into farmland, the endeavours of these pioneer settles provide this area with a unique history. 

Though initially prosperous, the farms were eventually forsaken due to the area’s difficult access for trading and the onset of the Great Depression.

There are no roads leading to the historic Places Trust Category 1 listing that spans the Mangapura Gorge, but the bridge is accessible by hiking, canoe & kayaking, or by an exhilarating jet boat ride, followed by a 40-minute (one-way) walk through bush trail from the landing.  Wades Landing Lodge can arrange a jet boat for the return trip to Whakahoro or to transfer to the Matemateaonga Walkway.

The Bridge to Nowhere track is along the Mangapurua Walkway, which is a 40 km track between Whakahoro and Mangapurua Landing on the banks of the Whanganui River. 



This track usually takes 3 days to walk and there are no huts.  However, there is an abundance of ideal campsites on open grassy flats and small side streams to provide ample water. 

Prices are available upon request. 

Please contact us for more information.