Vertigo

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A blog cant get more up-to-date than this....

Today I faced my fear of heights and won. I ascended the tallest building in the southern hemisphere and after having a look around, instead of taking the lift down, I decided to go outside and jump. Later on I climbed up again, donned a harness and climbed up the inside of the mast to the 'crows nest', a hundred metres above where most people get to.

I never thought I'd get to do either of these things. The idea of clambering around on the top of a tall building, on the wrong side of the glass, has always been the stuff of nightmares and morbid fascination for me. I can tell you with no doubt at all that that standing on a ledge 300m above the ground, gazing down onto the roofs of megre 40 or 50 storey skyscrapers far below, knowing I'm about to jump, is by far the most terrifying thing I've ever done.

Luckily I stepped off right on cue, without needing to be pushed, and enjoyed every second from then on. The fan-assisted descent cable didnt snap and I was dangled outside the observation deck for all the more sane tourists to take photos. Then a 16 second plumet to the bottom. Woohoo!

After the jump, climbing up the mast was a little less terrifying and afforded spectacular views over the whole Auckland region.

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