Rod Drury donates extra $200,000 for Shotover bike bridge

The trust behind some of the Whakatipu Basin's most popular bike trails is thanking businessman Rod Drury for donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the building of a bridge to take cyclists from one side of the Shotover River to the other.

The Queenstown Trails Trust calls Mr Drury "a legend" in a post to social media today announcing he has gifted a further $200,000 to complete construction of the Kimi-ākau Bridge on the Shotover Gorge Trail.

It brings his total contribution to the bridge build to "a whopping $400,000", it says.

Mr Drury, founder of software company Xero, has a home in Queenstown, where he's known to be a keen mountain biker and supporter of a trails network.

"The benefit these trails will bring to our community is massive, and, for me, the return on investment is a no-brainer," he says.

The Kimi-ākau Bridge is a 90-metre suspension bridge spanning the Shotover River at Tucker Beach, and is a vital link on the Shotover Gorge Trail, which will connect Arthurs Point to Frankton.

Helicopters have been used extensively in construction of the bridge, which includes more than 100 planks individually sponsored by others in the community.

Another unique feature of the trail is the historic 108-metre mining tunnel at Big Beach, which users will pass through en route.

Its restoration has been made possible by another case of local philanthropy - in June the Hugo Charitable Trust committed $735,000 to work to bring the tunnel into the trails network.

Meanwhile, another section of the Queenstown Trails Trust network, the Wharehuanui Trail that connects Arrowtown to Arthurs Point, opened in recent weeks.

Main image (Facebook/Queenstown Trails): The 90-metre Kimi-ākau suspension bridge over the Shotover River at Tucker Beach.