'Moving experience' for grand piano

A Steinway piano is hoisted into a seventh-floor Auckland apartment yesterday. Photo / Janna Dixon

One grand piano. A seventh-floor inner-city apartment. The twain should never meet.

But yesterday, as its new owners watched in trepidation, a crane hoisted a 345kg, $200,000 Steinway 37m into the air to deliver it to 17-year-old pianist Naoki Toyomura.

John Eady, managing director of Lewis Eady Ltd, paid $2000 to deliver the piano to the Parklane Apartments.

But he also had to put down a $5000 bond with Auckland Council, in case he damaged the neighbouring Myers Park with the 30-tonne crane.

He considers $2000 a good price. "It's cheaper than if the council didn't agree - otherwise we would have had to chopper-lift it in for about $6000."

Toyomura has been playing the piano since he was 4. "My other one was getting old so Mum said, 'why don't you just get the best'?" he said.

The teenager will hone his skills at the New Zealand International Piano Festival, kicking off in Auckland tomorrow.