The historic Dunedin Railway Station has been covered in 53 tonnes of steel bars and covered with waterproof material to protect the building from the elements while a million-dollar upgrade was carried out on the exterior of the building.
A Brazier Scaffolding Dunedin spokesman said it was one of the bigger projects the company had worked on in recent years, and extra supplies of pipes and brackets had to be brought in from branches across Otago and Southland.
Because the 114-year-old category 1 historic place is the second-most photographed building in the southern hemisphere (behind the Sydney Opera House), the waterproofed covering had images of the picturesque building printed on it to keep it aesthetically appealing during the renovations.
The project included repairs to the roof, walls, ornate fixtures and stonework.
The station will be one of the first stops for cruise ship passengers which will start arriving in the city again on November 6.
The first vessel will be the Royal Princess, carrying 3600 passengers and 1346 crew.
November 17-19 will be the city’s first extremely busy weekend of the season, when Ovation of the Seas, Carnival Splendour, National Geographic Orion, Grand Princess and Noordam are expected to be in port.
It is also expected to be very busy from Boxing Day into the New Year, when 15 vessels visit between December 27 and January 4.
