1959 Auckland Harbour Bridge Commemorative Dishes
Were you one of 160,000 who walked over the Auckland Harbour Bridge? S.110 - Auckland Harbour Bridge dish There were some amazingly historical events that happened in 1959. The arrival of the Barbie Doll, the first Grammy Awards, and ‘Xerox’ to name a couple. Auckland had its own momentous occasion, the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge on the 30th May. One newspaper estimated, one hundred and six thousand people walked its length to celebrate the opening after four years of construction. It was four lanes connecting the North Shore, at Northcote Point, to Auckland City at St Mary’s Bay, with drive through toll booths set up on the northern side to cover the costs. The clip-ons were added in 1969. I remember my father paying the cashier the coins from our car's unused ashtray. My parents didn't smoke, so it was safe place to keep the coins to stop them disappearing annoyingly under seats and floor mats. If I pestered long and hard enough my father would let me hand t...