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Cobden Bridge.
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DescriptionLength 648 Ft, Width 13ft 10 inches.Map[1]
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Location (city or town)GreymouthLandmark (Place)Cobden Bridge.Organisation (eg business)Cobden Bridge.
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Category TagBridge
From Facebook
LinkFacebook LinkCommentsDeborah Sweetman
Walked over it enough times.
Reply6h
Kathy Duthie
dident we all
Lorraine O'Donoghue
Had to judge whether there was room for the vehicle on the other end to pass you on the bridge.
Jean Mehrtens
Riding the bike a rattle-y business in my memory
Terry MJ
Walked over, rode over, ran over this bridge more times that I can count. Did NOT enjoy meeting one of McGlashens buses in the middle while biking home from school though, could be a bit tricky at times.
Robyn Mainey
Loved that bridge.
Cathy Howat
I remember that bridge from our visits back to the Coast from Picton in the sixties and early 70s.
Phillip Lee
As a lad of 16 I brought an old Chev off a guy in Greymouth, he dropped it off at my work and i had to drive it over this bridge back to Runanga, having never driven on the roads beforehand it was a daunting task just hoping I wouldn't meet an oncoming car let alone a truck, seem to be dozens of the buggers
Malcolm Yorston
If you kept the left tyres rubbing the rail you were fine but the number of drivers in front that would panic and stop when a bus or truck came on tended to annoy.
Sonia Moore
You could pass a car on the bridge
Tania Wilmott
Sonia Moore mmm.. This bridge would have had a maximum weight restriction on it. 2 vehicles depending on size would have pushed the boundaries one would have thought.
Robert Mathewson
Tania Wilmott oh yes they did and no vehicle restrictions.
John Fowler
The door hinges of the Morris vans we had at the Power Board in the 70’s stuck out further than the rubbing rail resulting in some good bangs at times. Must have been strong as never broke one. Also know of people who never ventured across the river be… See more
Alan N Barb Cochrane
biked over the bridge,and walked the bridge with 2 toddlers.
Stephen Lucas
The worst part of biking accross was when a bus or truck passed you
I remember it was 2 way for cars and one way for trucks and buses
Lyn Coleman
Stephen Lucas yes, I passed another car on that bridge..a bit iffy as we were pissed too.
Delwyn Tones
Left to visit family, right to everywhere else
Kerry Keating
The old Cobden bridge. Many times I walked over it in mid winter so we could save the bus fare and buy Lolly's. Damn those winters were cold.
Robyn A Rusholme
Use to jump off it
Edwin Lord
Remember that Bridge well
Wayne Leckie
If you had any brains you would stop and let the bus or the pie cart come off and then go .
Kerry Keating
Wayne Leckie There was a helluva lot of people didn't have any brains then. There was a lot of mid bridge arguments.
Wayne Leckie
Kerry Keating yes there certainly was it’s especially with the pie cart
Kerry Keating
Wayne Leckie Aye, that's so true.
Vern Pattinson
Classic
Rob Lunn
When the bridge slipped into disrepair a man had to mount the left hand rub rail to avoid serious damage to the sump on an Austin A30 ,!!
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Love it exactly how I remember it
Vern Pattinson
Barbara Fitzsimmons old timer lol
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Vern Pattinson I can still walk it ya old timer .
Vern Pattinson
Hahaha
Mary Costello
Great Memory
Lyn Thompson
jumped off that bridge 50 s....whole lot of us did ...nothing like a dare and a swim
Carol Stirling
It was a cool bridge . I remember it well
Brian Case
Tried to out run cops in Ford 10 didn't work top speed 10 miles hour
Reply8h
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Brian Case
Kerry Keating
Brian Case Jeez Brian. You speed Racer. Live on the wild side brother.
Bob Jamieson
Bit hairy meeting a truck / bus coming the other way, Done it countless times.
Bev Johnston
I have walked biked and driven across this bridge so many times it was very scary when the river was in full flood
Lyn Gosling
scarey biking across it early in the morning in the Barber and frost in the 1960s to get to high school.
Valda Scott
My grandad was a ....... man when it came to a bus on the bridge. there was no way was he going to back off if there was a bus on the bridge Thank goodness he only
Deborah Sweetman
Walked across the foot bridge countless times as a kid. Remember Mum walking on tip toes so her high heels wouldn't get stuck in the gaps.
Mary Hall
I remember this bridge. My parents had a section where they grew flowers and we used to go over regularly from town
Kenny Williams
And cars were bigger and we managed for all those years
Sandra Rooney
Absolutely.
Deborah Marley
It used to share tge bejesus out of me walking my pram across ...the boards would shake and move...most of the time I would run across
Wayne Leckie
Pie cart and cars meeting in the middle lol
Wayne Leckie
And also used to jump and dive off it craze
Doris Blanchard
I was new in Cobden in the late 1960s.
My husband was the vicar and I was going to a women’s meeting in Greymouth. A bus was supposed to take us all but it didn’t come and we who drove had to transport ladies and I had never driven across that bridge but had no option to do so and was terrified.
Sharon Langridge
Maye Dunn - I might be wrong but I think it would have been Apted & Dales place. I think photo taken from hill north of Lawsons creek, looking north, overlooking Hibernia creek which runs round the foot of the house - currently where Denise Howard & Bruce s. menteith live.
Sarah Harris
I think you might be right Sharon
Debbie Cogger Griffin
Rose Green We rode our horse omg on the bridge and footbridge!!!
Kym Murdoch
Debbie Cogger Griffin we did! God I wouldn't do it now lol
Sharon Arohanui Marsh
Scary biking on the footbridge to High School when it was hailing had to stop and huddle until it stopped. Thank goodness for the Greymouth High School Uniform where we had to wear those blimin long rain coats
Elizabeth Ann Beech
Sharon Arohanui Marsh wonderful when the Barber was down, dripping wet by the time you got to the Greymouth side!
Lee Williams
My great grandfather helped build it.. in the days when bridges were built
Shirley Michael Palmer
That foot bridge was a nightmare
Especially at night
Sandra Arnott
Me neither!
Mary Hopkins
I remember biking across this bridge and the railway line when you came off on town side.
Christine Banks
I remember learning to drive in Mt grandmother's old Skoda, it's steering was atrocious, so going over this bridge was all concentration while moving the steering wheel from side to side to stay straight
Glenda O'Donnell
Yes I remember that old bridge
Noel Marie Batty
Back in early sixties biking from Greymain to Cobden to play rugby. Teachers probably drove and us kids biked on the footbridge . Same on way back to school ready to do crossing patrol at 3.00. Great days.
Jenny Mclellan
So do I glenda
Sue Dixon
Biked across it to high school.The winter time was the worst with the barber cutting into you.
Terry MJ
Wish I had 10c for every time a rode my fixed-wheel bike over that bridge to and from school while having a McGlashens bus or a truck passing me with a few inches to spare. My bike also had no brakes whatsoever and I was quite upset and wondered why, during a routine bike inspection day, I was the only one who got a large red sticker slapped on my bike printed with the word "DANGEROUS", hmmmm strange. !!!!
Walked over it enough times.
Reply6h
Kathy Duthie
dident we all
Lorraine O'Donoghue
Had to judge whether there was room for the vehicle on the other end to pass you on the bridge.
Jean Mehrtens
Riding the bike a rattle-y business in my memory
Terry MJ
Walked over, rode over, ran over this bridge more times that I can count. Did NOT enjoy meeting one of McGlashens buses in the middle while biking home from school though, could be a bit tricky at times.
Robyn Mainey
Loved that bridge.
Cathy Howat
I remember that bridge from our visits back to the Coast from Picton in the sixties and early 70s.
Phillip Lee
As a lad of 16 I brought an old Chev off a guy in Greymouth, he dropped it off at my work and i had to drive it over this bridge back to Runanga, having never driven on the roads beforehand it was a daunting task just hoping I wouldn't meet an oncoming car let alone a truck, seem to be dozens of the buggers
Malcolm Yorston
If you kept the left tyres rubbing the rail you were fine but the number of drivers in front that would panic and stop when a bus or truck came on tended to annoy.
Sonia Moore
You could pass a car on the bridge
Tania Wilmott
Sonia Moore mmm.. This bridge would have had a maximum weight restriction on it. 2 vehicles depending on size would have pushed the boundaries one would have thought.
Robert Mathewson
Tania Wilmott oh yes they did and no vehicle restrictions.
John Fowler
The door hinges of the Morris vans we had at the Power Board in the 70’s stuck out further than the rubbing rail resulting in some good bangs at times. Must have been strong as never broke one. Also know of people who never ventured across the river be… See more
Alan N Barb Cochrane
biked over the bridge,and walked the bridge with 2 toddlers.
Stephen Lucas
The worst part of biking accross was when a bus or truck passed you
I remember it was 2 way for cars and one way for trucks and buses
Lyn Coleman
Stephen Lucas yes, I passed another car on that bridge..a bit iffy as we were pissed too.
Delwyn Tones
Left to visit family, right to everywhere else
Kerry Keating
The old Cobden bridge. Many times I walked over it in mid winter so we could save the bus fare and buy Lolly's. Damn those winters were cold.
Robyn A Rusholme
Use to jump off it
Edwin Lord
Remember that Bridge well
Wayne Leckie
If you had any brains you would stop and let the bus or the pie cart come off and then go .
Kerry Keating
Wayne Leckie There was a helluva lot of people didn't have any brains then. There was a lot of mid bridge arguments.
Wayne Leckie
Kerry Keating yes there certainly was it’s especially with the pie cart
Kerry Keating
Wayne Leckie Aye, that's so true.
Vern Pattinson
Classic
Rob Lunn
When the bridge slipped into disrepair a man had to mount the left hand rub rail to avoid serious damage to the sump on an Austin A30 ,!!
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Love it exactly how I remember it
Vern Pattinson
Barbara Fitzsimmons old timer lol
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Vern Pattinson I can still walk it ya old timer .
Vern Pattinson
Hahaha
Mary Costello
Great Memory
Lyn Thompson
jumped off that bridge 50 s....whole lot of us did ...nothing like a dare and a swim
Carol Stirling
It was a cool bridge . I remember it well
Brian Case
Tried to out run cops in Ford 10 didn't work top speed 10 miles hour
Reply8h
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Brian Case
Kerry Keating
Brian Case Jeez Brian. You speed Racer. Live on the wild side brother.
Bob Jamieson
Bit hairy meeting a truck / bus coming the other way, Done it countless times.
Bev Johnston
I have walked biked and driven across this bridge so many times it was very scary when the river was in full flood
Lyn Gosling
scarey biking across it early in the morning in the Barber and frost in the 1960s to get to high school.
Valda Scott
My grandad was a ....... man when it came to a bus on the bridge. there was no way was he going to back off if there was a bus on the bridge Thank goodness he only
Deborah Sweetman
Walked across the foot bridge countless times as a kid. Remember Mum walking on tip toes so her high heels wouldn't get stuck in the gaps.
Mary Hall
I remember this bridge. My parents had a section where they grew flowers and we used to go over regularly from town
Kenny Williams
And cars were bigger and we managed for all those years
Sandra Rooney
Absolutely.
Deborah Marley
It used to share tge bejesus out of me walking my pram across ...the boards would shake and move...most of the time I would run across
Wayne Leckie
Pie cart and cars meeting in the middle lol
Wayne Leckie
And also used to jump and dive off it craze
Doris Blanchard
I was new in Cobden in the late 1960s.
My husband was the vicar and I was going to a women’s meeting in Greymouth. A bus was supposed to take us all but it didn’t come and we who drove had to transport ladies and I had never driven across that bridge but had no option to do so and was terrified.
Sharon Langridge
Maye Dunn - I might be wrong but I think it would have been Apted & Dales place. I think photo taken from hill north of Lawsons creek, looking north, overlooking Hibernia creek which runs round the foot of the house - currently where Denise Howard & Bruce s. menteith live.
Sarah Harris
I think you might be right Sharon
Debbie Cogger Griffin
Rose Green We rode our horse omg on the bridge and footbridge!!!
Kym Murdoch
Debbie Cogger Griffin we did! God I wouldn't do it now lol
Sharon Arohanui Marsh
Scary biking on the footbridge to High School when it was hailing had to stop and huddle until it stopped. Thank goodness for the Greymouth High School Uniform where we had to wear those blimin long rain coats
Elizabeth Ann Beech
Sharon Arohanui Marsh wonderful when the Barber was down, dripping wet by the time you got to the Greymouth side!
Lee Williams
My great grandfather helped build it.. in the days when bridges were built
Shirley Michael Palmer
That foot bridge was a nightmare
Especially at night
Sandra Arnott
Me neither!
Mary Hopkins
I remember biking across this bridge and the railway line when you came off on town side.
Christine Banks
I remember learning to drive in Mt grandmother's old Skoda, it's steering was atrocious, so going over this bridge was all concentration while moving the steering wheel from side to side to stay straight
Glenda O'Donnell
Yes I remember that old bridge
Noel Marie Batty
Back in early sixties biking from Greymain to Cobden to play rugby. Teachers probably drove and us kids biked on the footbridge . Same on way back to school ready to do crossing patrol at 3.00. Great days.
Jenny Mclellan
So do I glenda
Sue Dixon
Biked across it to high school.The winter time was the worst with the barber cutting into you.
Terry MJ
Wish I had 10c for every time a rode my fixed-wheel bike over that bridge to and from school while having a McGlashens bus or a truck passing me with a few inches to spare. My bike also had no brakes whatsoever and I was quite upset and wondered why, during a routine bike inspection day, I was the only one who got a large red sticker slapped on my bike printed with the word "DANGEROUS", hmmmm strange. !!!!
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West Coast New Zealand History (8th May 2023). Cobden Bridge.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 1st Jun 2026 05:11, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/10680