Tuesday, 24 August 2010

Sunday – Auckland, a day out in the big city!

This morning we headed out for a day exploring the sights of Auckland.  As it was a clear morning we visited the Sky Tower, and rode the lift 60 storeys above street level for the amazing views across the Auckland region.  We even braved the glass floors to take a better look down at the streets below.

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At 328 metres the Sky Tower is the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere, and the fast lift whizzes you to the top in 40 seconds! 

We walked around the full observation deck to appreciate the 360 degree views, that stretched for miles.  We even watched as a jumper hurled themselves off the top, for the quick route down.

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When we return in September, before we fly out to Fiji we hope to do the Sky Walk, a thrilling walk around a 1 metre wide platform that circles the top of the tower.

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Back down on solid ground we walked to an outdoor market for a browse, before booking tickets for the harbour cruise at 2:30pm.  Whilst waiting for the time to come round we visited the 2 Korean Naval ships that were at one of the nearby wharves.

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At 2:30 we boarded our catamaran and departed the wharf, the views across the city were great.

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We cruised by the small coastal town of Devonport, and the NZ naval base.

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For miles around you could see extinct volcano cones, and begin to appreciate the size of Auckland’s volcanic field. 

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We neared Rangitoto Island (above right); Auckland’s largest and youngest dormant volcano, at only 600 years old it is not known when she will blow again.

We passed by Motuihe Island, and then cruised across to Orakei Wharf for our last stop before returning to the main city wharf.

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