A local landmark and meeting spot on Huia Road in Titirangi, Auckland, located opposite Tangiwai Reserve. It marks where the Waituna Stream flows into Little Muddy Creek.
This historic, tucked-away structure in the heavily forested Waitākere Ranges has accumulated a few spooky rumours, or perhaps birthed an urban legend or two, over the years.
The bridge sits directly opposite Tangiwai Reserve. In the Māori language, Tangiwai translates to “Weeping Waters.”
While this local reserve is a peaceful patch of suburban greenery, the name “Tangiwai” is also famously associated with the tragic 1953 Tangiwai railway disaster elsewhere in the North Island. Perhaps this fuelled the stories along.
Reports of a mysterious dark figure that seems to stand silently or near the 1890s-era brick archway bridge before disappearing without a sound have circulated for a decade or two. No one knows who this person might be, how long they have been frequenting the bridge, or what their connection is to the town or the creek itself.
