How do you hook a giant salmon?
The district council is applying itself to this question as it prepares to catch Rakaia’s big fish and transport it to Christchurch for a $340,000 two-month refurbishment.
The shift is planned before Christmas; a date is yet to be confirmed.
Group manager of community and open spaces Toni Durham said a crane would be used to lift it and put it on to a truck.
However, there was nothing on the salmon the crane could latch on to.
‘‘A lifting piece, or hook, will need to be made and attached to the inner pole within the salmon so the crane has something it can safely connect to,’’ Durham said.
Once the lifting hook is made and the big fish is hooked by crane, it will be cut off its steel support and then gently lowered on to the truck for transport.
Last week Christchurch sculptor Phil Price rode up a cherrypicker to check all the inner hardware was in working order.
“The size of the sculpture makes it fairly tricky to manoeuvre,’’ Durham said.
It is about 12m long and weighs 1.6 tonnes.
‘‘Once it’s on the back of the truck, it will have a quick stop-off in Hornby for sandblasting before Mr Price and his team begin the refurbishment at his studio,’’ she said.
Durham said the district council was lucky to have businesses supporting the shift, helping keep costs down.
Ashburton Crane would be doing the lifting off and on at a reduced rate, while Tarbotton Land & Civil had offered to transport it without charge.
‘‘Contractors will meet soon to discuss the shifting process and confirm what else needs to be done in preparation,’’ Durham said.
‘‘We’d also like to thank EA Networks for the use of their cherrypicker at a reduced rate.”
Durham said Price would be building a special cradle for the fish to rest on while undergoing repairs. It would also allow the fish to spin in situ.
At Price’s Waltham workshop, the salmon would undergo repairs to its interior wooden skeleton and its fibreglass exterior.
It would then be carefully painted, scale by scale over six weeks, and finished with a clear UV seal for protection against the weather.
“We know the salmon is famous locally and well photographed by tourists, and it has helped put Rakaia and the district on the map. We’re hoping our landmark fish will be absent for only a couple of months.”
The salmon was commissioned by the Rakaia Lions Club and blessed by the Wizard of Christchurch during a brief promotional tour of Cathedral Square before it left Christchurch.
It was unveiled to the public on April 27, 1991, with MP Jenny Shipley and Mayor Geoff Geering in the official party.
