Milton excavator operator Troy Calteaux (31) not only knows the answer, but he's done it himself and has been named as the country's best excavator operator, after an ''extremely tense'' two-day contest.
Mr Calteaux proved his advanced skills in all aspects of excavator operation during the Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) National Excavator Competition, held at the Central Districts Field Days in Feilding.
He was yesterday ''just stoked'' with the win, which had yet to fully sink in.
He was presented with the CablePrice NZ Number One Excavator award at the CCNZ industry ceremony held at the weekend, after competing in tricky tasks such as using his excavator to peel a watermelon and to paint a number.
''I didn't crush it, but I didn't peel it as well as I'd [have] liked,'' Mr Calteaux said about the surprise watermelon challenge.
Mr Calteaux has been with the family-owned, Balclutha-based Andrew Haulage (2011) Ltd for eight years.
He works alongside his father, Colin, and brother, Kieran. This was only his second time in the hotly-contested national event.
The 11 participants were assessed by several judges during four sections, spread over two days, and ending last Saturday.
In the ''main course'', competitors completed 12 to 15 activities in 60 minutes, using 12-tonne Hitachi excavators, including the watermelon task, and several excavation exercises.
Contestants also had to:
- Respond to a realistic emergency situation, including use of first aid skills
- Brief young children how to use a 1.7-tonne Hitachi mini excavator.
- Build a loading ramp using a five-tonne digger after first scoping, designing and pricing the job.
The latter ''one day job'' challenge was the equivalent of a full-day task, but it had to be done in just 60 minutes.
His wife, Heather, travelled to Feilding and was ''proud'' to watch him perform at a high level.
He had done his homework, but the tightly-fought event was a ''pretty intense watch'' at times, she said.
