Photo: DOC
On Tuesday July 28, the new Aoraki/Mount Cook suspension bridge is set to open. It is the longest in New Zealand and replaces the much smaller bridge which closed last April after rainfall and storms caused riverbank erosion.
Construction of the new bridge began in August 2025, and since then mother nature has thrown everything at the building team. Working in a sub-alpine environment, the Abseil Access team and contractors battled 180 km winds and multiple unseasonal snowfalls.
The bridge will be open to the public from 3pm on Tuesday following a private event and a blessing from mana whenua.
Also in this week’s outdoor news: NZMFF community grants open for applications, new company is making dehy meals for dogs, US Forest Service employees kidnapped and more.
Missed yesterday’s feature? Need help picking the perfect fleece for you? Our 2026 guide to fleeces is the best place to get started!
Top reads
Take a look at this week's most read articles at wildernessmag.co.nz.
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Hut of the week 🏡
Photo: Brian Dobbie
North Whetu Bivouac, Kaweka Forest Park
Walk the length of the Kaweka Range to stay at this cosy two-person bivouac.
North Whetu Biv started life in 1958 as Studholme Saddle Biv and was the first hut built in Kaweka Forest Park by the NZ Forest Service. The biv is a classic ‘dog-box’ crawl-in two-person structure in a relatively sheltered clearing on the edge of the bush at 1320m.
In April 2022, with the support of DOC and the Backcountry Trust, volunteers relocated it from near Studholme Saddle to its new site, 10km north as the kākā flies, off the northern end of the Kaweka Range.
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