Users of a popular walking track have welcomed a new bridge which was installed early this week - but red tape means the bridge is not able to be used just yet.

The bridge on the Gladstone track was airlifted into place by Alpine Helicopters on Tuesday (November 17).

The track runs from the Lake Hāwea dam along the foreshore in front of Lake Hāwea township, then through open farmland to John Creek.

Upper Clutha Tracks Trust member Tom Rowley told the Wanaka App the number of people using the track was now higher than the trust had expected, and users included mothers with baby buggies and some cyclists who were reluctant to navigate the steep creek bed at Gladstone Gap, which was often full of water.

“There’s been more water running down the creek in the last three years and it’s just created a bit of a problem. It’s quite daunting for a lot of people, and no one likes getting their feet wet,” Tom said.

“There’s a definite call for the bridge and it’s going to get a lot of use.”

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No - it’s a flying bridge.

Tom, with help from Tim Dennis, sourced the bridge, which was surplus to requirements during track building in the Cromwell area.

“It’s a hand-me-down but it’s really substantial,” he said. 

A few locals donated money to the project, and Peter Wardell and Tom built the bridge’s balustrades and ensured the bridge was safe and compliant with requirements.

Alpine Helicopters did an “amazing, precise” job lifting the bridge into place on Tuesday, Tom said, and positive feedback from track users was immediate.

The Upper Clutha Tracks Trust liaised with Diana Manson from the Queenstown Lakes District Council, which will be responsible for maintaining the bridge. The council still requires more paperwork to be completed before people are allowed to use the bridge, but track users should soon be able to do more than just admire it as they go by.

The Urquhart family (Paul, and sons Sandy and Andrew), whose farmland the track runs through, were “incredibly helpful” with the project, Tom said.

PHOTOS: Supplied