Seeing the City of Sails from 722 feet

Auckland, situated in the North Island of New Zealand, is the most populous city in the country and the fifth largest in Oceania. It has a rich history that dates back to its initial prosperity due to its port, logging, gold-mining activities, and later on, pastoral farming and manufacturing. Auckland is a multicultural hub with a diverse population, including a significant Polynesian community. It is also renowned for hosting the prestigious sailing competition, America's Cup, which has attracted top sailors and yacht designers, making it a significant part of Auckland's maritime culture. Furthermore, Auckland is known for its stunning landscapes and is famous for its impressive Sky Tower.

We arrived in Auckland just before sunrise and were escorted into the harbor by a tugboat. Jeff was captivated by the lights that illuminated the city at this early hour.

The first stop on today's tour was Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium, known for its diverse collection of marine life and unique Southern Oceans experience. The aquarium features over 30 live animal exhibits in spectacular habitat displays, including the world's largest Sub-Antarctic penguin colony exhibit and amazing underwater viewing tunnels.

Our next destination was the renowned Sky Tower! This telecommunications and observation tower reaches a height of 1,076 feet, making it the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere. To put it into perspective, the Eiffel Tower stands at 324 meters, the Sky Tower at 328 meters, and the Empire State Building at 443 meters tall. From this vantage point, we could enjoy breathtaking 360-degree views of Tāmaki Makaurau, encompassing ancient volcanoes, glistening harbors, and more. Upon reaching the main observation deck on level 51 via elevator, we could barely spot our ship moored next to a building 610 feet below us. Surprisingly, some daring (or perhaps adventurous) guests opted for the adrenaline-pumping SkyJump activity, soaring past us from level 53. We proceeded to reach level 60, standing at 722 feet, to enjoy a more panoramic view of our ship. Wrapping up our visit, we indulged in a couple of Pilsners at the Skybar before heading back to the tower's base, all while observing it through the glass floor window! Since Auckland is home to approximately 53 volcanoes it was reassuring to know that the Sky Tower was designed to withstand an earthquake of 8.0 on the Richter scale within 20 km.

We enjoyed our visit to the tower inspite of skipping the thrilling experience of the Sky Jump. Here's a description of what we missed:
The SkyJump is the ultimate leap of faith, allowing you to jump from New Zealand's highest building with only a wire between you and the ground, plunging 192 meters down at a speed of 85kph. By doing so you experience 11 seconds of pure adrenaline as you freefall 53 floors down.

Who would do that? Not I, that's for sure!!