Watch: House-movers get into tight spot near Takaka

"Piece of cake." A hauling company found itself in a tight spot while moving a house near Takaka. Photo / Rob Fernbloom

It was the house that turned into a tunnel.

A hauling company found itself in a tight spot when moving a home through narrow roads near Takaka yesterday.

Video posted online appears to show the house getting wedged between two cliffs on either side of the highway between Ligar Bay and Pohara. Cars are squeezing under a gap on one side of the house.

"It was a pretty skinny fit and it took a little bit of wriggling to get it through there," said the company's managing director, Lynn Cotton.

He said the house never got stuck but they had to chip off some rock to allow it to get through. The driver hoisted the trailer as high as possible, which allowed some cars to pass underneath.

"It was a little bit of fun but that's quite normal," Cotton said. "We've had it before, with a house that someone told us was seven metres wide but it turned out to be eight.

"Usually we do this in the middle of the night - most people don't see what the hell you're up against and don't even realise."

After an hour, they squeezed through the gap, thankful that the home didn't have a deck attached. The house made it to its new location in Ligar Bay in one piece.

"Just another day at the office," Cotton said. "Piece of cake."