Theme Week New Zealand – The Sky Tower in Auckland
Friday, 21 July 2017 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: New Zealand / Neuseeland Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time: 6 minutes
© Heinz Albers/cc-by-2.5
🔊 Listen to this Post
The Sky Tower is an observation and telecommunications tower located at the corner of Victoria and Federal Streets in the
Auckland CBD ,
Auckland in
New Zealand . It is 328 metres (1,076 ft) tall, as measured from ground level to the top of the mast, making it the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere and the
23rd tallest tower in the world . It has become an iconic landmark in Auckland’s skyline due to its height and unique design. The tower is part of the
SkyCity Auckland casino complex, originally built in 1994–1997 for
Harrah’s Entertainment . Several upper levels are accessible to the public, attracting an average of 1,150 visitors per day (over 415,000 per year). The Sky Tower has several upper levels that are accessible to the public: Level 50: Sky Lounge, Level 51: Main Observation Deck, Level 52: Orbit 360° Dining, Level 53: The Sugar Club restaurant, SkyWalk and SkyJump and Level 60: Sky Deck.
The upper portion of the tower contains two restaurants and a cafe—including New Zealand’s only revolving restaurant, located 190 m (620 ft) from the ground, which turns 360 degrees every hour. There is also a brasserie-style buffet located one floor above the main observatory level. It has three observation decks at different heights, each providing 360-degree views of the city. The main observation level at 186 m (610 ft) has 38 mm (1.5 in) thick glass sections of flooring giving a view straight to the ground. The top observation deck labeled “Skydeck” sits just below the main antenna at 220 m (720 ft) and gives views of up to 82 km (51 mi) in the distance. The tower also features the “SkyJump”, a 192-metre (630 ft) jump from the observation deck, during which a jumper can reach up to 85 km/h (53 mph). The jump is guide-cable-controlled to prevent jumpers from colliding with the tower in case of wind gusts. Climbs into the antenna mast portion (300 m or 980 ft heights) are also possible for tour groups, as is a walk around the exterior.
© flickr.com - Ronnie Macdonald
The tower is designed to withstand wind in excess of 200 km/h (120 mph) and designed to sway up to 1 metre (39 in) in excessively high winds. As a safety precaution the Sky Tower’s lifts have special technology installed to detect movement (such as swaying due to high wind) and will automatically slow down. If the building sway exceeds predetermined safety levels the lifts will return to the ground floor and remain there until the high winds and building sway have abated. The Sky Tower is built to withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake located within a 20-kilometre (12 mi) radius. There are three fireproof rooms on levels 44, 45, and 46 to provide refuge in the event of an emergency, while the central service lift shaft and stairwells are also fire-safety rated.
The Sky Tower is used in support of special charity events. The Leukemia and Blood Foundation of New Zealand organises annual fundraising stair climb challenges, notably the “Firefighters Sky Tower Stair Challenge” which sees firefighters from around New Zealand race up 1,108 steps (out of 1,267 total steps), Climbing the Sky Tower stairs has been described as a “vertical marathon”. For celebrations like New Year’s Eve and
Chinese New Year SkyCity Auckland projects an impressive fireworks display from the Sky Tower which can be seen across Auckland. SkyCity Auckland lights the Sky Tower to show support for a range of organisations and charities. Common lighting events include: Blue =
Auckland Blues , Pink =
Breast Cancer Awareness Month , Red & Green =
‘Kidz First’ Childrens Hospital /
Christmas , Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Gold & White =
New Year’s Eve , Red & Gold =
Chinese New Year , Blue & Green =
Starship Children’s Foundation /
Earth Day , Orange =
Auckland Festival /
40 Hour Famine , Green & Purple =
The Auckland Cup , Red, White & Pink =
Valentines Day , Green =
St. Patrick’s Day , Red =
The America’s Cup /
ANZAC Day , Green, Red & White =
Rally New Zealand , Gold =
New Zealand Olympic Team , Blue & Red space =
Matariki , Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple =
Pride Month , Blue & Orange =
Easter , Blue, White & Red =
Bastille Day /
ANZAC Day /
Waitangi Day , Orange, Purple & Green =
Halloween , No lighting (except aircraft warning lights) =
Earth Hour /
April Fools Day /
Memorial Day / Death of a
Governmental member or important people.
Here you can find the complete
Overview of all Theme Weeks .
Read more on
skycityauckland.co.nz – Sky Tower ,
SkyWalk and SkyJump and
Wikipedia Sky Tower (
Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State -
Weather report by weather.com -
Global Passport Power Rank -
Travel Risk Map -
Democracy Index -
GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank -
Global Competitiveness Report -
Corruption Perceptions Index -
Press Freedom Index -
World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index -
UN Human Development Index -
Global Peace Index -
Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index ). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at
comment@wingsch.net . Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.
VIDEO
Recommended posts:
[caption id="attachment_160621" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Uppsala University © Elapied[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Uppsala is the capital of Uppsala County and the fourth largest city of Sweden with 140,454 inhabitants. Located 67 km north of the capital, Stockholm, it is also the seat of the Uppsala Municipality. Since 1164, Uppsala has been the ecclesiastical centre of Sweden, being the seat of the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden. Founded in 1477, Uppsala University is the oldest centre of higher education in Scandina...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_216646" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Christmas in Aarhus © flickr.com - EHRENBERG Kommunikation/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Jutland, known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula, is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany. The names are derived from the Jutes and the Cimbri, respectively. As with the rest of Denmark, Jutland's terrain is flat, with a slightly elevated ridge down the central parts and relatively hilly...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_233643" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Kongress- und Theaterhaus © Peter Haas/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Bad Ischl is a spa town in Austria. It lies in the southern part of Upper Austria, at the Traun River in the centre of the Salzkammergut region. The town consists of the cadastral community Ahorn, Bad Ischl, Haiden, Jainzen, Kaltenbach, Lauffen, Lindau, Pfandl, Perneck, Reiterndorf and Rettenbach. It is connected to the village of Strobl by the river Ischl, which drains from the Wolfgang...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_167443" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Heinz Albers/cc-by-2.5[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Sky Tower is an observation and telecommunications tower located at the corner of Victoria and Federal Streets in the Auckland CBD, Auckland in New Zealand. It is 328 metres (1,076 ft) tall, as measured from ground level to the top of the mast, making it the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere and the 23rd tallest tower in the world. It has become an iconic landmark in Auckland's skyline ...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_236538" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Alan Mattingly/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Argelès-sur-Mer (literally Argelès on Sea; Catalan: Argelers de la Marenda or Argelers; Occitan: Argelers de Mar), commonly known as Argelès, is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in the administrative region of Occitania, France. It is about 25 km from Perpignan.
Argelès-sur-Mer is located in the canton of La Côte Vermeille and in the arrondissement of Céret. Argelès-sur-Mer is ...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_159771" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Fortress Wawel © Hstoffels[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow, is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River (Polish: Wisła) in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural and artistic life and is one of Poland's most important economic centres. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 15...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_191860" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Palace of the Governorate of the Vatican City State © Staselnik/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Vatican City is an independent city-state enclaved within Rome, Italy. Established with the Lateran Treaty (1929), it is distinct from yet under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes). With an area of 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of about 1,000, it is the smallest state in ...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_160559" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Samnaun Village © Fiesch[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The former smugglers’ paradise of Samnaun located in the Swiss, Austrian and Italian triangle has developed into a holiday resort for hiking enthusiasts and mountain bike riders. In winter the cross-border winter sports region of Samnaun and Ischgl (Austria) caters for the most discerning of visitors. All year round shrewd shoppers reap the benefits of the only tax-free resort in Switzerland.
In addition...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_4758" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Yas Viceroy Hotel © yasisland.ae"][/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Yas Marina Island is an artificial island in Abu Dhabi near natural Sir Bani Yas island. The island is the site of a US$36 billion development project by Aldar Properties. It occupies a total land area of 2,500 hectares, of which 1,700 hectares will be claimed for development. The island holds the Yas Island Circuit, which hosts the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2009.
It will also ...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_151170" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Clock tower © Zdravevski/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, 14 kilometres (9 miles) north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing with Greece. It is an important junction connecting the south o...
[ read more ]