AUCKLAND HARBOUR BRIDGE
50 Years of a city icon.
Renee Lang – Random House - $24.99

The graceful steel arch of the Auckland Harbour Bridge that has stood sentinel over the Waitemata Harbour for 50 years is now celebrated for all New Zealanders within the pages of Auckland Harbour Bridge: 50 Years of a City Icon.

Saturday 30 May 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. This iconic structure is more than just a bridge; it has a place in the hearts and minds of all Aucklanders and has played an important role in some of New Zealand’s most historic moments.
Auckland Harbour Bridge: 50 Years of a City Icon is a celebration of the entire history of the bridge. It tells the story of the bridge’s conception, construction and the decades of change since its official opening on May 30, 1959.

While the Auckland Harbour Bridge is a national icon, many New Zealanders are unaware of the fascinating stories associated with the bridge.
Auckland Harbour Bridge brings some of these stories to life. Most will not know that the bridge’s construction workers were in danger of getting the bends as they dug deep below the seafloor. Nor will most people be aware that on the day the bridge opened there was a 9-kilometre queue of vehicles waiting to get across or that in the first six months of the bridge being open, 50 pedestrians were removed.
Accompanying this fascinating history are more than 250 striking images from the archives of the New Zealand Herald that bring the history of the bridge to life. With permission of the publishers I am reproducing some of them here.

Renee Lang, is a highly experienced professional in the publishing industry, and a frequent user of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
She has produced a book that should be in every Auckland home. Perfect too for sending to ex-pat Aucklanders who now live in other parts.