Weighing an estimated 3500 tonnes, the reinforced concrete building was moved from its original site, now the location of the
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, to a site more than 100 metres down and across a major road. The relocation started in May 1993 and took just over five months. The hotel's weight was transferred from 17 columns to a giant steel grid bolted on to railway
bogies, then hydraulic jacks were pushed up between the grid and the bottom of the hotel, and the columns were cut to transfer the weight. The wheels were then turned 90 degrees, and the building pushed 40 metres across the road on 21 August on another set of rails During this process, the only items removed from the hotel were the bed linens. Everything else remained in situ, even the bottles in the bar. Nothing was damaged in the move and there were no signs of any building stress or damage as cracks. Motive power for the move was eight
hydraulic rams capable of providing 160 tonnes of push. In the event only 8 tonnes of push were required to get the building rolling. Each of the two moves was accomplished in one day, at a maximum speed of 12 metres per hour. Between the first move and the second, time was required to turn the 96 railway bogies used 90 degrees. Each bogie had 4 wheels, so the point loading through each wheel was less than 10 tonnes. At the time of moving, the building was only five years old. Although comparatively new, the hotel was to have been demolished to make way for the much larger structure of the National Museum. Chris Parkin, the entrepreneur who undertook the project, was awarded the title of 'Wellingtonian of the Year' in 1993. ==References==