BRIDGING THE WAITEMATĀ

MEDIA RELEASE 18 February 2025

TE TŪHONONGA O WAITEMATĀ BRIDGING THE WAITEMATĀ: A new exhibition at the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) 3 Mar – 22 Aug 2025

MOTAT’s latest exhibition is a chance to look behind the scenes at the development and construction of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most iconic landmarks – the Auckland Harbour Bridge – through a collection of rarely seen photography.

The bridge’s opening in 1959 was a momentous occasion for Aucklanders and more than 100,000 people accepted the invitation to a special day where they could walk across the bridge before vehicles were allowed. The four-lane bridge took four years to complete, involving hundreds of workers.

Exhibitions Content Developer Hannah Crichton says, “Te tūhononga o Waitematā Bridging the Waitematā explores the story of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Drawing predominantly on the Walsh Memorial Library collection, the exhibition examines the design, construction, and engineering involved in creating the 1,020-metre-long truss bridge.

“Within the exhibition, visitors will learn about the Waitematā prior to the bridge, how the structure was built, and the bridge’s functionality, which has been a core transport link to the city and north since 1959.”

Te tūhononga o Waitematā Bridging the Waitematā looks at the harbour’s traditional use by iwi, and the once-prominent passenger and vehicle ferries that provided transport between the two shores.

Visitors will learn how the anchorage sites were cleared and prepared, with the exhibition delving into the construction, manoeuvring, and then sinking of the six piers that served as foundational building blocks for the bridge.

They’ll be able to follow the journey from construction of steel girders to the final joining of the two halves in 1959, to the Auckland Harbour Bridge’s operation as a vital transport link, supporting 4,924,963 vehicles crossing in its first year. Four extra lanes were added in the 1960s in reaction to the traffic volume. Today, an average of 160,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day.

The exhibition is housed in the Walsh Memorial Library at MOTAT Great North Road and includes objects from MOTAT’s collection as well as archival footage.

ENDS

MOTAT’s Walsh Memorial Library houses an extensive collection of historical records, archives, and materials reflecting Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s social history and Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique history of transport and technology. The library is open 10am-4pm, MON-FRI and on MOTAT LIVE Days.

For more information, imagery or interviews, contact Nicole Parish, Communications Manager: Nicole.parish@motat.org.nz or PH 021 273 3563