Dunedin's distinctive purple and white Cadbury silos are coming down as demolition of the former chocolate factory continues.
Cadbury's purple and white silos are being demolished today. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
The site of the former Cadbury factory and a block to the north will be the location of the new Dunedin Hospital.
Demolition is underway to clear the sites for the more than $1.4 billion hospital.
The silos, which have sat their current site on Castle Street since 1991, are 30 metres high and weigh 70 tonnes each.
A Southern District Health Board spokesperson said they would be cut into thirds for removal with the steel to be recycled.
It was hoped work would begin about 7.30am today, but it depended on wind conditions.
"The purple section will come down first," the spokesperson said.
"We're unable to give an exact time frame as it's all weather and wind dependent - we are using the big crane nicknamed 'Stretch' so if the wind comes up it will be delayed. At this stage the middle section will come down on Tuesday."
The crumb silos (or Burley Bins) were originally constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and located where Countdown sits today.
In 1991 they were loaded on trucks in an upright position and driven around the block to where they now sat.
The seven-hour relocation of the first silo involved 20 people.