Whangarei's new bascule bridge will be putting on a daily show as a result of popular demand.
The bascule can be raised 26 metres. Photo: RNZ
The spectacular drawbridge - the mid-section of which lifts up to let boats sail down the harbour - has been drawing crowds of locals and tourists during summer.
Council manager Simon Weston said there was a teething problem with the arrival of hot weather, when the steel bascule expanded and refused to budge. But he said that had been resolved by shaving 20 millimetres off the concrete abutment.
"The simple fact of the matter is that it was expanding probably about 20mm more than what the model suggested, so what we did was we took 20mm of concrete from the far abutment, and that's resolved the problem," Mr Weston said.
The bridge will be raised every day at midday, as well as whenever yachts need to pass under it.
