A speedy removal was out of the question when it came to transporting more than 500 fragile Midwinter Carnival lanterns to their new storage space at the weekend.
In fact, it was a slow and delicate process.
But Dunedin Midwinter Celebrations Trust chairman Paul Smith said extra hands made the work lighter and sped the process up a little.
Many volunteers with gentle hands turned up at the trust’s storage warehouse at 68 David St, Caversham on Saturday, to help move the lanterns to their new home in Watts Rd, North East Valley.
Mr Smith said the move was necessary because the lease was about to expire on the trust’s David St warehouse.
He was delighted with the new storage facility.
It was about 500sqm — much larger than the one they had been using in Caversham — and would provide more space for their creation and restoration work.
Because many of the lanterns were very fragile, some damage was expected during the removal, he said.
"The sizes vary dramatically, from small strings of star lanterns to a 6m-long whale.
"We kind of expect there is always going to be a little wear and tear when you’re shifting.
"Patching up damage — that’s just part of the process."
Much of this year had been spent re-covering some of the trust’s "really iconic lanterns" with waterproof tent-like fabric, he said.
It aimed to make them a lot stronger and less likely to tear, not just during the transfer, but for future Midwinter Carnival events as well.
