A mock-up of how the 35m (left) and 45m (far side of bridge) poles will look from 1 Miriana St. Image / Supplied
Powerline folly
Auckland may be getting a supersized Earth Mother statue at Bastion Point.
Tauranga will be going one better with a quarter-scale rendition of the Golden Gate suspension bridge, courtesy of Trustpower. A magnificent 152-feet tower will be built at the end of Maungatapu and another at Matapihi
to hold up three high voltage electricity cables sweeping majestically 1000m across the harbour.
Transpower's photo montage partially reproduced in the Bay of Plenty Times shows improbably slender towers and almost invisible wires. Our regional council and local city council have already rubber-stamped this proposal. Our two opposition MPs are strangely silent on the matter. Is it a coincidence that the chair of Trustpower is our ex MP Tony Ryall?
When viewed from the city or Welcome Bay it will appear as if the Maungatapu bridge is being suspended by the catenary curve of the conductors. Could I suggest Fawlty Towers as a suitable name for this folly?
