Twinkle Toes is the largest excavator in the Southern Hemisphere. It was used in Christchurch to demolish tall buildings following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes before moving to Wellington following the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.

History and description

The excavator is based on a 2008 Liebherr 984 that was heavily modified by Kocurek Excavators Ltd for the Birmingham-based demolition Coleman & Company. It was bought for around NZ$4m and imported to New Zealand by Auckland-based demolition firm Nikau Contractors, and arrived in the Port of Lyttelton in September 2011. The tracked excavator weighs 220 t and has a maximum reach of 65 m. When the telescoping arm is not extended, the reach is 25 m. The excavator is not suited for demolishing the bottom two storeys of a building. At full reach, a 2.5 t demolition attachment can be fitted to the hydraulic boom. At 40 m reach, the machine can handle a 6 t concrete breaker. The excavator got its nickname following a naming competition on Christchurch radio station More FM.

Demolitions