The white bridge

In February 2018 the huge tides caused by Cyclone Gita surged into the mouth of the Wainui Stream, taking part of The White Bridge with them. The rest of the bridge soon followed; machines stripping it down to its raw parts to be scavenged for souvenirs. That bridge was a Paekākāriki icon, a photogenic feature of our beach life. It was a place to meet, a place to play and a place where memories were made.