The Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge spans the

Kawarau River The Kawarau River is a river in the South Island of New Zealand. It drains Lake Wakatipu in northwestern Otago via the lake's Frankton Arm. The river flows generally eastwards for about and passes through the steep Kawarau Gorge until it join ...

in the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The bridge is mainly used for commercial purposes by the AJ Hackett Bungy Company for

bungy jumping Bungee jumping (), also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a ...

- the world's first commercial bungy jumping site. The bridge carries walkers, runners and bikers on the Queenstown Trail over the river.

Location

The bridge is in a Department of Conservation reserve, between the start of the Crown Range Road and Gibbston in the

Kawarau Gorge The Kawarau Gorge is a major river gorge created by the Kawarau River in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. The towns of Queenstown and Cromwell are linked by through the gorge. The gorge begins some 30 kilometres from Queen ...

within the Wakatipu Basin. It is above the Kawarau River.

History

The bridge was designed by Harry Higginson. The bridge was completed in late 1880 as a key access route to the Central Otago goldfields. Traffic was moved to a new highway bridge on State Highway 6 in 1963. The suspension bridge is classified by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic place. Today, it is a tourist attraction with commercialised ziplines and bungee jumping.

Name

The bridge's many names include the ''Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge'', ''Kawarau Suspension Bridge'', ''Kawarau bridge'' and ''Kawarau Bungy Bridge''.

Gallery

Kawarau River Bridge, 2008-12-30.jpg, View of the old suspension bridge above the

Kawarau Bridge NZ7 3191 (40057608173).jpg, The old Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge Kawarau Bridge NZ7 3179 (40057608793).jpg, Bungee jumping from the old Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge

References

{{Tolkien tourism Suspension bridges in New Zealand Queenstown-Lakes District Bungee jumping sites Bridges in Otago NZHPT Category I listings in Otago