The museum's elephant was moved off the premises after an expert taxidermist segmented it into pallet-sized pieces so it could be taken through storeroom doors. Photo: Supplied / Canterbury Museum
Cranes are being used to shift mammoth objects from Christchurch's Canterbury Museum ahead of planned multimillion dollar upgrades at the site.
More than 2 million exhibits have been moved out of the Rolleston Avenue site since September as the museum undergoes a $205 million revamp.
Efforts became more intensive last week when it came to planning the transf of the larger exhibits.
The tractor used in Sir Edmund Hillary's trans-Antarctic exhibition and a giant rotating globe, which has hung in the museum for 48 years, were the remaining items to be shifted to a storage facility off-site.
The museum's elephant was successfully moved off the premises during an operation last week, after an expert taxidermist segmented it into pallet-sized pieces, so it could be moved out through storeroom doors.
Museum director Anthony Wright said it is exciting to see these large objects on the move following decades in one place.
"We've been looking forward to this moment with excitement and a little trepidation since we embarked on our redevelopment journey. It's a major milestone.
"Our team have planned meticulously so these treasures can be safely moved."
A hole had to be cut in the side wall of the Level 5 Whale Space store room to remove the skull and two jawbones of the museum's Ōkārito Blue Whale.
The 1.5 tonne skull and jawbones were moved on to a small roof area and craned down to a waiting truck in the Botanic Gardens.
The whale skeleton - one of the largest in the world according to the museum - will return to display in the atrium of the new site.
"The biggest one was our elephant...it was built into its store room during the earthquake strengthening so there was no door big enough in the museum for it to go though" - Museum director Anthony Wright
A large window in the museum's Level 3 visitor lounge has been removed so a crane can lift the items out.
The globe is among the objects which will be wheeled onto a scaffolding platform to be craned out, as will the Tucker Sno-Cat Able that, as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1955-1958), was among the first vehicles to cross the Antarctic continent.
Part of the same expedition was Sir Edmund Hillary's modified Ferguson tractor.
It will be removed alongside Ivan Mauger's gold bike, a taxidermied rhinoceros and a number of slightly smaller objects from the Antarctic Gallery.
Museum management admitted the taxidermied Indian elephant in the Museum's Mammal Attic has been "particularly challenging" to extract.
Earthquake strengthening in the 1990s trapped the elephant inside and was too large to get out through the only doors to the space.
The elephant was laid on its side using a gantry with a block and tackle.
A lightweight cast was then made of the animal's side which will help guide the reassembling process.
Due to the presence of harmful chemicals historically used in taxidermy, including arsenic, an isolation tent was erected around the elephant and the taxidermy team worked in full protective protection to cut the elephant's skin and remove the straw stuffing.
The elephant will be restored at the new museum.
Wright said the museum wasn't the first in the country to have to cut up a taxidermied elephant to get it out of a building.
"Auckland Museum's elephant, Rajah, had to be modified to be moved out in the 1990s.
"These days it's standard practice for taxidermists to cut large specimens into pieces before mounting them, so I'm in no doubt that the elephant will look better than it ever has when it's back on display."
The museum buildings are reportedly on track to be empty by the end of the month.
The museum will be closed for five years during the revamp, but will continue to operate using a pop-up venue in the city,