They took 135 years to grow but only two days to cut down - landmark 25m-high Norfolk pines at St Luke's Church in Oamaru were removed for safety reasons and the threat they posed to the building.
The work was handled by OmniTree, of Dunedin.
Branches and limbs were cut off on Monday and the trunks were taken down in sections yesterday.
Planted in 1878 to mark the deaths of Bishop Selwyn, first Bishop of New Zealand, and his friend Bishop John Patteson, killed seven years earlier in Melanesia, they were only about 2.5m from the church on its north side.
They were causing damage to the church's porches, paths, drains, roof and stonework, although the impact on the church's foundations had not been ascertained.
However, it was safety issues that were of more concern, highlighted by what could happen if there were earthquakes similar to those in Christchurch.
The decision to remove the trees was a difficult one for the church committee and its community, the Rev Tim Hurd said.
Timber from the trees would be used for memorial furniture inside the church and a plaque mounted on the north porch depicting the pines and their place in Oamaru's history, Mr Hurd said.
The church was ''deeply attached'' to the historic trees, which were beautiful in their own right and of real significance for the Anglican leaders they memorialise.
But the type of tree and their size were inappropriate for where they had been planted.
Norfolk pines could live to 150 years, but those at the church were coming to the end of their lifespan and it was considered prudent to remove them now in ''a carefully-managed manner''.
Two yew trees had been planted more than a decade ago to take the place of the two pines.
A resource consent for their removal was granted last year by the Waitaki District Council.
