Karangahake Bridge (2014.352)

Heading indirectly south to Rotorua.

A pair of bridges crossing the Karangahake Gorge. The lower box girder connects the nearby village of Paeroa with State Highway 2, which runs from the Waikato region to the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand’s North Island.

Running along the top of the road bridge, the former East Coast Main Trunk Railway. No longer used as a rail bridge, it has been converted to a walkway and cycleway, and now forms part of the Hauraki Rail Trail.

The terrain in this area of New Zealand is remarkable, as steep hills climb unprompted from rolling farmland. As we passed through, fine weather was battling with the greyness of the previous days, and hilltops were frequently shrouded as the mist clung to the trees.


Although State Highway 2 added over an hour to our already quite long journey, it was definitely worth it for the scenery alone.