High Level Victoria Bridge
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Did you know that before Cambridge had bridges, the only way across the Waikato River was by punt?
That worked for a while, but the locals soon pushed for something more permanent. In 1870, they chose a site near the meeting of the river and the Karāpiro Stream. During construction, the river was low, so workers could easily bore holes for the piles. Sub-Inspector Newall and Sergeant Chitty of the Armed Constabulary oversaw the project, and by the following year, Cambridge had its first bridge.
But the Waikato River had other plans. In Dec 1875, it suddenly rose eight metres in just a few hours. The torrent lifted the entire bridge and carried it downstream to Hamilton. The Armed Constabulary managed to rescue it before it smashed into the new bridge at Ngāruawāhia, thanks to a brave constable who swam out, secured it with a rope, and hauled it to shore. (Source PapersPast – Waikato Times, 14 December 1875). With the bridge gone, Cambridge had to dust off the old punt and put it back into service.
Taken from Duke Street, showing the Karāpiro Bridge in the foreground and the Red Bridge, on the right, leading to Shakespeare Street in Cambridge West (now Leamington), early 1900s CM2958/5/3/9
The Red Bridge
In 1876, a stronger Howe Truss Girder bridge was built. It stood taller, stretched 45 metres across, and was painted in red lead oxide, earning the name “the Red Bridge.” It served the town well until 1909, when it was dismantled. Interestingly, workers found some of its original kauri piles still intact during the building of the Fergusson Bridge in the 1960s.
High Level Victoria Bridge in Cambridge, nearing completion, 1907 CM2958/4/25
Victoria Bridge – a first in Australasia
Cambridge’s most iconic crossing was built in 1907. Known locally as the high level bridge, it was the first high-level cantilever steel arch bridge in Australasia. The parts were manufactured in New York by the American Bridge Company, shipped across the world as a giant kitset, and railed into place from both Cambridge and Te Awamutu. Lord Plunket, the Governor, opened it just before Christmas that year. The ribbon used in the opening ceremony is in the Museum’s collection (click here)
The engineering was impressive for its time: a 141-metre span, an 88-metre central arch, decking made of six-inch heart totara, and 20,000 rivets hammered in by pneumatic tools. The whole thing weighed 330 tons and cost over £14,000. The very first motor car to drive across belonged to Miss Jeffries, while Mayor W.F. Buckland and friends took the honour of the first horse and buggy crossing.