CDT Transport is Wellington's owner-operated HIAB crane and transport service. One truck, one operator - with decades of experience in lifting, rigging, and getting things to places others can't reach.
Wellington throws up problems most cities simply don't. Steep hills that'd make your calves burn just walking, streets so narrow two cars can barely pass, and weather that shifts from calm to chaos in the space of a lunch break - none of it makes moving heavy gear straightforward. CDT Transport offers HIAB truck hire, tight access lifting, spa pool relocation, and general trucking right across the capital. Whether you're a builder tackling a Mount Victoria renovation, an artist installing a sculpture in Te Aro, or a contractor pulling apart a knackered building in Lower Hutt - Alan takes on the lifting and transport jobs that others flat-out refuse.
What sets CDT's crane service apart? Decades of stage rigging experience fused with a truck purpose-built for Wellington's unforgiving terrain. Alan works alongside contractors, builders, artists, and homeowners who need heavy items lifted, shifted, or placed in spots that look - at first glance - completely unreachable.
What we handle: Art installations, construction materials, demolition work, and time-critical deliveries - your cargo gets where it needs to go, no matter how awkward the access.
A solid trucking company handles everything from site deliveries to rubbish removal across Wellington's notoriously uneven ground. Building materials get hauled to job sites perched up in Kelburn, demolition waste cleared from Oriental Bay properties, and gear moved between locations throughout the wider region.
Here's the thing that genuinely matters - the truck squeezes down narrow laneways and grinds up steep access roads that larger vehicles wouldn't dream of attempting. When your project sits on a cramped section or at the top of a switchback driveway, having a trucking company that truly understands Wellington's quirks makes the difference between a smooth job and an expensive nightmare. Years spent navigating the capital's hills, sideways rain, and unpredictable traffic mean routes get planned to shave time and sidestep delays before they happen.
All Trucking Services →A professional transportation service goes well beyond simply ferrying items from point A to point B. In Wellington's compact city centre - where parking regulations shift block by block and pedestrian zones create unexpected dead ends - getting oversized or heavy items to their destination demands genuine forethought and hands-on skill.
CDT's approach to transportation service includes:
Stage equipment has been transported to the St James Theatre, sculptures destined for public spaces in Civic Square, and building materials to sites scattered across Porirua. The combination of crane power and deep transport experience means your items arrive intact, on schedule, and positioned precisely where you need them - not dumped on the nearest kerb.
All Transportation Services →When furniture, hot tubs, or heavy equipment needs to shift between properties, a standard moving service frequently falls short. A crane-equipped moving service unlocks possibilities that regular removalists simply cannot match. Spa pools have been hoisted clean over fences in Karori, workshop machinery relocated in Upper Hutt, and sculptures manoeuvred into galleries on Cuba Street.
Wellington's heritage buildings and hillside homes throw up real access headaches - doorways designed for Victorian proportions, steps steep enough to qualify as cardio, or driveways barely wide enough for a wheelbarrow. Instead of dismantling items or risking damage through awkward manual carries, crane-assisted moves let us lift things cleanly over obstacles and set them down right where they belong. Honestly? It's one of the most satisfying parts of the work - watching a homeowner's stress evaporate the moment everything clicks into place.
All Moving Services →A time-critical delivery service keeps building projects moving and businesses running without painful gaps. Contractors stalling while they wait for materials, retailers counting on stock arrivals, homeowners expecting spa pools or bulky outdoor furniture - they all need deliveries that actually turn up when promised.
A delivery service with crane capability handles items too large or heavy for courier vans while threading through Wellington's notoriously difficult access points. Deliveries cover sites from the Kapiti Coast right down to Island Bay, working around traffic snarls, unpredictable weather, and punishingly tight timeframes.
| Delivery Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Building supplies | Thorndon renovation sites |
| Workshop equipment | Kilbirnie industrial units |
| Outdoor items | Spa pools, large furniture |
| Construction gear | Steel, timber, roofing |
Crane-assisted delivery means your items arrive ready to position - no extra handling, no hiring additional equipment, no standing around waiting.
All Delivery Services →HIAB truck hire puts transport and lifting power together in a single package. The truck-mounted crane lifts materials directly from the vehicle, eliminating the need for separate cranes, forklifts, or a small army of people wrestling things into position.
On Wellington's building sites - where there's often zero spare room for additional vehicles or machinery - HIAB truck hire streamlines the logistics and trims costs considerably. CDT has supported stage crews at waterfront events, swung steel beams into place at construction sites in Lyall Bay, and positioned air conditioning units on rooftops up in Brooklyn where access would otherwise require a minor engineering project.
Why it works: The crane's reach and surgical precision let us place loads in spots that defy expectation - over buildings, through impossibly narrow gaps, or down vertiginous sections. Decades of experience mean every job gets assessed thoroughly, mapped out, and executed safely regardless of the challenge.
Tight access lifting solves problems that bring other services to a grinding halt. Wellington's older suburbs are riddled with narrow rights-of-way, heritage buildings hemmed in on all sides, and hillside properties where conventional equipment simply cannot reach. Properties in Mount Cook, Roseneath, and Aro Valley frequently have driveways barely wide enough for a hatchback, let alone a full-size crane or truck.
CDT's tight access lifting expertise grew out of years working in theatre and rigging - environments where precision matters every bit as much as raw strength. A few real jobs Alan's tackled:
Lifted hot tubs into courtyards hemmed in by buildings on three sides.
Positioned sculptures through gallery windows where millimetres counted.
Delivered materials to sites where the neighbour's fence sat centimetres from the only access route.
The combination of a compact truck, an operator who's seen it all, and a stubborn problem-solving streak turns "impossible" access into a successful delivery. If someone's already told you it can't be done, give Alan a ring - that's exactly the kind of job CDT thrives on.
Tight Access Lifting Details →Wellington's harbour and precipitous terrain have demanded inventive lifting solutions for as long as the city has existed. The wharves once bristled with cranes loading ships heavy with wool and frozen meat bound for distant ports, while building homes on the surrounding hills required equipment capable of conquering seriously punishing slopes. Today's crane services carry that tradition forward, deploying modern HIAB technology to work with - rather than against - the capital's distinctive geography. From Te Aro's bustling commercial developments to quiet residential projects tucked away in Northland, precision lifting remains central to keeping Wellington building, creating, and pushing forward.
Shifting a spa pool isn't a job you wing. Hot tubs weigh anywhere between 400 and 900 kilograms empty - far too heavy to muscle by hand and too unwieldy for most trailer configurations.
Lifting a spa pool relocation over fences, decks, or buildings safeguards your property from damage and wraps the whole operation up in hours rather than dragging it out over days. CDT has relocated spa pools right across the region - from Wairarapa lifestyle blocks to tucked-away Hataitai courtyards - hoisting them safely over obstacles that would otherwise demand major groundwork or partial demolition of fencing. There's a far better option than wrestling a 600-kilogram tub through a side gate sideways.
Spa Pool Relocation Details →It depends on the job - load weight, access difficulty, and time on site all factor in. Most jobs are quoted over the phone once Alan knows what needs lifting and where. Call 027 444 2191 with the details and you'll get a straight answer, not a call-centre estimate.
Usually, yes. CDT's truck is deliberately compact for exactly this reason - Wellington's narrow laneways, steep sections, and heritage properties are the daily work, not the exception. If access looks borderline on Google Maps, mention it when you call and Alan can talk through the approach beforehand.
No - CDT covers the wider Wellington region as standard, including Tawa, Upper Hutt, Porirua, the Kapiti Coast, and the Wairarapa. For the right job, Alan will travel further, as far as New Plymouth, Taupo, or Napier.
A regular removalist carries things by hand or trolley. CDT's HIAB crane lifts loads clean over obstacles - fences, buildings, steep drops - and places them precisely where they need to go. That's the difference on jobs like spa pool relocations, sculpture placement, or getting materials onto a site with no vehicle access at all.
Alan - every time. CDT is deliberately owner-operated: no subcontractors, no dispatch desk, no handoff between the person who quoted the job and the person doing it. When you call, you're talking to the operator.