The City to Sea Bridge is a pedestrian bridge and public artwork located in

Wellington City Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, ...

, New Zealand. Opened on 31 October 1993, the wedge-shaped bridge crosses

arterial road An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector ro ...

Jervois Quay, connecting the public spaces of

Civic Square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

to the Wellington waterfront precinct at

Whairepo Lagoon Whairepo Lagoon is an open public area at the centre of Wellington, New Zealand. It is a small man-made lagoon filled with sea water and connected to Wellington Harbour through a narrow channel. A split-level footbridge over the mouth of the lago ...

. Around the square are the

Michael Fowler Centre The Michael Fowler Centre is a concert hall and convention centre in Wellington, New Zealand. It was constructed on reclaimed land next to Civic Square, and is the pre-eminent concert site in central Wellington. Commissioned in 1975, building be ...

Wellington Town Hall The Wellington Town Hall ( mi, Te Whare Whakarauika) is a concert hall and part of the municipal complex in Wellington, New Zealand, which opened in December 1904. It has been closed to the public since the 2013 Seddon earthquake, and it is curr ...

, Wellington City Art Gallery and

Wellington Central Library Wellington Central Library ( mi, Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui) is a public library building in the central business district of Wellington, in New Zealand. It is owned by Wellington City Council and is listed as a Category 1 historic place by Herit ...

Detail of the City to Sea Bridge (porthole)

Architects

Rewi Thompson Rewi is a Māori-language given name and surname. People with the name include: Given name * Rewi Alley (1897–1987), New Zealand-born writer and political activist in China * Rewi Braithwaite (1897–1987), New Zealand footballer * Rewi Maniap ...

and John Gray were commissioned by Wellington City Council to design the bridge, and they brought in artist

Paratene Matchitt Paratene Temokopuorongo Matchitt (10 August 1933 – 19 July 2021) was a New Zealand sculptor and painter, known for combining traditional Māori art forms with those of modernist art. His work also references events from New Zealand history, pa ...

to contribute to the design. The Council's brief was that the bridge should address the significance of the waterfront and public space. The bridge is adorned with non-traditional wooden sculptures carved by Matchitt, some of which form the sides of the bridge. On one side are two large birds representing welcome and festivity. On the other are two whales which can also be seen as the

taniwha In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respected ...

Ngake and Whātaitai, who according to Māori legend created Wellington Harbour. Poles on the bridge have metal shapes on them. Some represent the moon and stars, signifying celestial navigation. Other symbols on the poles are inspired by those on

Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki (c. 1832–1893) was a Māori leader, the founder of the Ringatū religion and guerrilla fighter. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the Cha ...

's flag ''Te Wepu.'' Matchitt's work was influenced by Te Kooti's philosophies and he used these symbols in other sculptures as well as the bridge. The whole layered bridge structure represents the uplifted and eroded landforms of Wellington and a point of arrival and change. At the Civic Square base of the bridge are two

Oamaru stone Oamaru stone, sometimes called whitestone, is a hard, compact limestone, quarried at Weston, near Oamaru in Otago, New Zealand. Oamaru stone was used on many of the grand public buildings in the towns and cities of the southern South Island, es ...

sculptures by Matt Pine, titled ''Prow'' and ''Capital''. A plaque here states:

Capital and Prow The sculptures by Matt Pine on either side of the stairs are part of a series of 10 works called Reflections on an Ancient Past. Capital (above) is based on European classical architectural elements with koru form on the edges. Prow (on the other side) depicts a Maori canoe prow with Taniko weave motif on the edges - a mix of European and Maori cultural elements.

Public reaction to the bridge was mixed when it was built, but it has become a tourist attraction in its own right. Blumsky City to Sea bridge

Problems with the bridge's design and construction have been ongoing. Remedial work was undertaken shortly after the bridge opened when it was found that small children could fall through gaps. Rot was discovered in 2009 and strengthening undertaken in 2010 and 2011, and then a 2019 report considered its resistance to earthquakes. Between 15 October 2011 and 31 January 2012 protesters set up a camp on the raised grassed area on the Civic Square side of the bridge. The protest, 'Occupy Wellington', began in support of the international

Occupy movement The Occupy movement was an international populist socio-political movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of "real democracy" around the world. It aimed primarily to advance social and econo ...

but during the occupation the focus changed to an emphasis on homelessness. The protest cost ratepayers more than $65000 in legal fees, security and repairing damage to the lawn.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Wellington City Concrete bridges in New Zealand 1990s architecture in New Zealand Bridges in the Wellington Region Footbridges Wellington Central, Wellington