The massive new suspension bridge being built up the Hooker Valley at Aoraki/Mount Cook will open in late July/early August this year.
The bridge which will span 189 metres across the Hooker River on the upper section of the popular Hooker Valley track will replace an existing swing bridge which had to be closed in April 2025 due to riverbank erosion near the bridge supports.
Construction of the new bridge began in August 2025 and since then mother nature has thrown everything at the team working on site.
Aoraki/Mount Cook Operations Manager Sally Jones says extreme weather and adverse sub-alpine conditions have been very challenging for the construction crew who have battled 130 kph winds and un-seasonal snowfalls.
"Despite this, the team is making good progress with the completion of the large backstay anchors. The massive steel cables which will span the river, have arrived from Italy and will be hung in the next few months. The bridge is really starting to take shape which is exciting. It will be a spectacular destination for visitors to experience," she says.
The lower section of the Hooker Valley track from the first suspension bridge to a viewing platform with a lookout over Mueller Lake is still open. The upper part of the track will remain closed until the completion of the project.
Visitors to the park are enjoying other walking and hiking tracks including to Governors Bush, Kea Point, and up to the Tasman Lakes and for a more challenging hike, the climb up to the newly refurbished Mueller Hut.
