Insta-friendly bridge gets understudy

It’s one of New Plymouth’s most photographed spots and the Te Rewa Rewa bridge is soon to be under wraps for maintenance – but Instagram posters need not miss out as the local council has provided a stop-gap.

A massive billboard featuring the iconic bridge and Taranaki Maunga view has been erected by the New Plymouth District Council to salvage the photo opportunity for regular users and tourists while it’s painted.

‘‘I reckon it’s a cool idea because we still have quite a lot of tourists coming in from all over the place,’’ New Plymouth man Ethan Costello said. ‘‘It’s good that they have put it up so people can still take photos.’’

The 70-metre bridge has been a photo hotspot since it was built in 2010 but recently it has started to look a little tatty and so it is getting a ‘‘facelift’’.

With chipped paint and wear and tear, the renovations, that will leave the bridge better able to withstand salt spray and damage, are expected to be completed by December.

Regardless of the current state of the famous wave-like structure, some still prefer it to the more pristine billboard.

Aucklanders Neill and Susan Blackett have been to New Plymouth many times and said the bridge was a great location to visit.

‘‘We have walked it a couple times, it’s really incredible when you can see the mountain,’’ Neill Blackett said.

Susan Blackett said even though the billboard is there to get touristy photos, it is not the real thing.

‘‘You can see it in a picture but it’s nothing like being there.’’

And while that may be the case, there could also be a silver lining to the fake bridge view.

‘‘You wouldn’t feel like you had actually been on it. You’d wanna come back if you could only get a photo there, to come and get a photo of the real thing.’’

– Eva Davies is a journalism student currently working as an intern at the Taranaki Daily News.