The Highest Structure In The Southern Hemisphere

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And A Reason To Come Back

Damn.... Slept in after the late night partying and carousing down in the Viaduct Harbor. I must be getting too old for all this frivolity. On second thoughts.... maybe I just haven't had enough training.... Yep, stick with that one I think.



Off and at 'em again with a visit to the Auckland Sky Tower. I'd booked ahead and was going to do the Sky Walk and Sky Jump double, but on arrival I was told that due to the weather conditions I was unable to do the jump (insert single tear rolling down my cheek). The Sky Walk was a go though so I donned the sexy orange overalls, the manhood crushing full body harness and jumped in the elevator to climb 200m into the air. The elevator has both glass doors and glass panels in the floor which gets the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing before even stepping foot out onto exposed walkway. Hooked into the cabling, a group of 5 of us spent the next 30 mins leaning over the completely open edge and getting a birds eye view of the streets below. Thrilling and only inspiring me further to come back and do the jump in the future.



Included in the package is the ability to go to the observation deck and the sky deck, at 180m and 220m respectively. Unlike the other towers I've been on on windy days, this one is solid as a rock and I didn't feel it sway once. A marvel of engineering which was only tainted when a sign read "This glass is 38mm thick. It is as solid as the concrete you're standing on." In my mind that just devalues the concrete more than giving me faith in the glass.



The view from the Sky Deck is magnificent!! With 360o unobstructed vistas, it really gives you a sense of the city and it's surrounds. From the harbors on 3 sides, to the graceful architecture of the museum, churches and concert halls, to the parklands and tree lined streets, and the ever present topography showing the areas geothermal history, it is a sight not to miss. An added bonus was that being the end of the Labor Day long weekend, the Tall Ships that had been moored in the harbor were all setting sail to open seas with a flotilla of personal craft in tow. With a love of the water and so much of it at their disposal, it's no wonder the Kiwis are so prominent in events such as the America's Cup.

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Comments

[Dancing Dave]

unable to do the jump
Wow. Didn't know it was legal to jump off any buildings...anywhere. Tough enough standing on a glass floor looking down to eternity.