Macraes operation general manager Bernie O'Leary (left) and
Hitachi director Kiichi Uchibayashi, of Japan, admire the
new 359-tonne mining excavator which has started work at
the Macraes gold mine. Photo by Craig Baxter.
"I came from a large family. I never had toys like this
when I was a child," digger operator Paul Barringer beamed
yesterday, as he admired his new "toy" - a whopping 359-tonne
mining excavator.
The Hitachi EX3600-6 excavator, worth about $9 million, was
officially handed over to OceanaGold at the company's Macraes
gold mine yesterday.
Among those present was Hitachi director Kiichi Uchibayashi,
from Japan, and CablePrice New Zealand's chief executive
officer Sean Hashimoto.
The excavator arrived on a ship from Japan, in 41 packages,
into Lyttelton Port in late August.
The ship sailed via Brisbane, where the 22cu m bucket was
made.
The disassembled digger was then transported south to the
Macraes mine where it was assembled by CablePrice technical
and mining specialist staff, before testing and training.
The largest excavator in New Zealand - although Hitachi makes
two larger models - it will mine about 80,000 tonnes of
material a day, loading a 190-tonne truck in two and a-half
minutes.
Mr Barringer, who has been operating diggers for "20-odd
years", described it as "beautiful" and smooth to operate.
"Not many people get to drive machines like this. Not in this
country," he said.
A fold-away ladder helped with access to the air-conditioned
cabin where Mr Barringer worked 12 hours a day.
"You're sitting up pretty high. You can't see the tracks.
You've got to be thinking all the time where you are and what
you're doing."
While some people found the idea of working in such a lofty
perch claustrophobic, it was something you got used to.
He travelled to work each day from Mosgiel and loved his job,
he said.
A smaller, 250-tonne excavator has been ordered for the mine
and is due in June next year.
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