Moving experience as Clyde coolstores change address

It’s a big one: A 280sqm coolstore 24m long and 12m wide owned by the Paulin Brothers, of Alpine Packhouse, is brought 1km down Earnscleugh Rd to a new site on Hanning Rd. Inset: Kevin Paulin, co-owner of Alpine Packhouse, at the new site in Hanning Rd.

The largest of three buildings to be relocated, a 280sq m coolstore, 24m long and 12m wide - which was moved yesterday - was believed to be one of the largest buildings in the area to be moved in one piece.

The Paulins are third generation orchardists at Earnscleugh and brothers Kevin and Raymond have been relocating Alpine Packhouse's buildings on to land the two have been developing for the Picnic Creek subdivision at Earnscleugh, near Clyde.

Director Kevin Paulin said there were 2000 hydroponically grown cherry trees planted in bags which needed to go into the coolstore during August.

The trees were given an extended winter to manipulate the harvest time, so they were hoping to have the coolstores up and running in three to four weeks' time, he said.

The trees are taken out of the coolstore during October when they continue to blossom and fruit in the usual way.

One advantage of moving to the new site was that the trees were already there, he said.

‘‘We used to have to put [the trees] on the back of a truck and shift them to the coolstores,'' Mr Paulin said.

Breens Construction, of Alexandra, has already moved several sheds - which would be altered and extended - to the new site.

Fulton Hogan, of Dunedin, was subcontracted to move two coolstores and the office, which it will complete by the end of this week.

‘‘It's been a double-headed sword in a way because we needed to do something with our packhouse anyway. It was too small,'' Mr Paulin said.

‘‘Now we're going to have a much newer, modern facility than what we've had down the road.''

Another two new coolstores are to be built on the site.