Trooper Jack will be on duty guarding the centre of Oamaru earlier than expected, and people will get a once-in-104-year chance for a closer look the day before he goes back on top of the Boer War monument.
The 2.74m high, 1.5 tonne statue of Trooper David Mickle Jack, sculpted from statuary marble, was taken down from the monument on June 17.
Since then it has been cleaned and restored by Dooleys Masonry in Oamaru.
Trooper Jack will be hoisted back on top of the monument next Thursday, but he will be on public display the day before on the grassed area across from the monument at the corner of Thames and Severn Sts.
New Zealand Transport Authority regional projects manager Simon Underwood said yesterday, to prevent the risk of accidental damage, the trooper would remain in the lifting frame which held him when he was craned down from the monument in June.
The barrel of the gun the trooper holds was shortened so it would not be broken when he was lifted off his original position.
The gun will be fully restored when he is back on top of the monument.
The project to move the monument, undertaken by contractors Fulton Hogan and Dooleys Masonry at a cost of about $685,000, was ahead of schedule.
Work is due to start shortly on the rest of the traffic safety project, which includes co-ordinated traffic lights at five key intersections (including the Boer War monument intersection) along Thames St and further landscaping around the monument.
It is aimed at reducing the number of crashes - about 20 a year - on Thames St and improving the flow of traffic.
The overall project is due for completion in April and will be marked by a special ceremony to welcome Trooper Jack to his new post.
