The Bridge to Nowhere - The Ill-fated Mangapurua Settlement

Wanganui Newspapers Ltd, 2003, 8th Edition. Small mark on front endpage.

In 1917 the Mangapurua, one of the most remote valleys of the Upper Wanganui River was opened for settlement by discharged servicemen. Access to the area was difficult and although the settlers tried hard to establish farms they found this impossible, most had walked off the land by the start of WWII and received no compensation for their hard work. In 1942 the Government closed the access road forcing the last three families to leave. Today there is little left to show where these farms were, as the bush is rapidly closing in on the valley - but the bridge across the gorge built in 1936 - the bridge to nowhere still stands. This book tell the story of the settlement.