New bridge not end of road for kauri

The iconic Darby and Joan kauri would have been in danger had the Government gone ahead with plans to widen the bridge between them. Photo / File

The two ancient kauri trees beside the Darby and Joan bridge in the Waipoua Forest will not fall to the Government's promise of widening highway bridges in Northland.

Prime Minister John Key said in Parliament last week the two protected trees blocking the way for a two-lane bridge will not be cut down.

Other politicians and conservationists raised their voices in alarm when the State Highway 12 bridge was named by Government as one of 10 cited in a pre-byelection campaign as requiring urgent remedy.

Incoming Northland MP and NZ First leader, Winston Peters was one of those who howled at the prospect of a double-laned bridge being squeezed between or past the fully protected kauris. Mr Peters has consistently ridiculed the 10-bridge promise and said the Darby and Joan two-laning proposal in particular "made National a laughing stock".

"Mr Key has been short on any detailed plans around promises for Northland. We believe there are no details. There was no planning. There were no costings. The promises were a rush job," he said.

"The Darby and Joan bridge is a good example."

Mr Peters was pleased Mr Key made the promise in Parliament not to damage the trees.

"But he did not reveal how National would squeeze in a two-lane bridge, or engineer some sort of two-lane detour," he said.

"What Northlanders will now have to reflect on is the cost of building a two-lane bridge at a tricky site. This could be a very expensive byelection promise."

When SH12 was sealed through the Waipoua Forest in the 1990s, the road between the landmark Darby and Joan kauri was not widened and the pavement was raised to keep traffic off the trees' roots. The project received international praise for its conservation values.

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) told the Northern Advocate not all 10 bridges named by the Government are currently in NZTA's sights, and the Darby and Joan bridge would be investigated only for strengthening and other resilience improvements.

NZTA was informed only the day before Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced the Government's pledge to spend up to $69 million widening the bridges over the next six years.