Traveling New Zealand: Auckland/Sky Tower

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Auckland/Sky Tower

Auckland Sky Tower

Photo by: Jaimie Walsh

If you're spending time in Auckland, you'll want to see at least a few of the popular attractions. A good place to start is the Sky Tower. Within walking distance of the bus station, at Corner Victoria Street and Federal Street, Sky Tower, the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere, has several restaurants and bars. If you enjoy gambling, Sky Tower casinos are open 24 hours a day. On level 2 of SkyCity alone, you'll find all the popular casino games as well as more than 1,200 machines, or pokies.

Three glass elevators take you to three circular observation levels-- Sky Deck, the Main Observation level, or Sky Lounge. From there, you can see over fifty miles in any direction.

If you came to New Zealand to scare the daylights out of yourself, try the new Sky Walk. Snapped in a safety harness, you can walk the circumference of the tower on a 1.2 meter wide ledge. And, if you make it through that one, try base jumping 630 feet from the tower. It's probably easier on your back than a bunji jump. You don't hang upside down or bounce around.

For a little less excitement, just order a drink in the Sky Lounge, relax, and enjoy the view.

Sky Tower

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Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

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Kiwi Dictionary

Affair: Not the spicy kind with a little slap and tickle. A party.
All Whites: National Soccer Team.
Bach: Weekend cottage in the North Island. Usually on the coast, near a lake, or in the mountains.
Bathroom: Room with a bathtub and sink. If you're not interested in washing up, better ask for the toilet, lav or loo.
Bonnet: Hood of a movan or car.
Bowser: Not a dog. It's a petrol pump.
Bush: The woods
Caravan: A travel trailer-- usually not a very fancy one, either.
Casual meal: If you ask for a seating at a hotel restaurant, you'll be asked if you're "in house or casual." If you're not a registered guest, you're casual.
Chemist shop: Drugstore
Chilly bin:Portable cooler or collibah.
Clapped out: Worn out
Crib: Weekend cottage in the South Island.
Crook: You can go crook if the flu hits. Or your auto can go crook if you forget to check the oil-- then you'll really go crook-- angry.
DOC: Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai. DOC manages land and wildlife, promotes conservation and protects endangered species
Dole: Unemployment. Based on the number of children in the family.
Domain: Local Park
Double: 6677 isn't six, six, seven, seven. It's double six, double seven. 888 is triple eight.
Drapery: Where you go to get draped. A dry goods store.
Driver: That's not the engineer on that locomotive-- he's the locomotive driver.
Dustman: Garbage Collector. A FAST garbage collector. He gets paid by the street, not the hour.
Face flannel: Face cloth, wash cloth.
Facilities:Toilet, sink and shower facilities.
Fanny: It's not your bum or backside. It's the female frontside you usually don't talk about in polite conversation.
Farm Parks: Coastal land farmed by Department of Land & Survey where you can watch everyday life on a working farm.
Fire: An electric heater is an electric fire.
Fizzler: Failure or something that fizzled out.
Fizzy drink: Soft drink.
Flaming: Damned or bloody.
Forest Park: State Park
Freedom Camping: Boondocking
Gas: Don't ask for gas. Ask for petrol. Gas is what you get when you break wind or it could be LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas)
Greasy: A greasy road is a slippery road.
Hot Points: 220volt, 50 cycle electrical outlets. each has its own switch. You plug into the mains-- the electrical wiring.
Ice blocks: Ice cubes or popsicles.
Jandels: Flip-flops.
Jersey: Sweater. Could be a cardie, pullover, or a twin set.
Judder Bars: Speed Bumps
Jumper: Pullover
Kiwi: New Zealand citizen, or hairy brown fruit, or flightless, nocturnal bird
Knackered: Worn out, beat.
Kumara: Sweet potato brought to New Zealand by the Maori.
Licensed hotel: Hotel with a liquor license. A private hotel serves food but not alcohol.
Litre: 1.057 US quarts or .88 Imperial quarts. Beer and petrol are sold by the litre.
Lollies: Candy. Any kind of candy.
Loo: Toilet. Sometimes off by itself and not in the bathroom.
Metal road: Gravel road. Grades I & II are sealed.
Motorcamp: Where you park your movan, pitch a tent, or rent a cabin or caravan.
Motorway: Freeway. There are some, usually around the larger cities.
Movan: self-propelled caravan
Mudguard: Fender
National Parks: National Parks are managed by DOC. A domain is usually in the country. Cities and towns do not have parks. They have reserves. A park is where you park your car. Confused? Me, too.
Nippon Clipon: The Auckland bridge was once four lanes. The extra four were built in Japan, towed to Auckland and clipped on the existing bridge.
No tipping: Means no dumping garbage. There's no tipping for services, either. GST is usually included in the menu price so-- what you see is what you get.
Pakeha: White man, European.
Pavement: Sidewalk
Petrol: Gasoline. Sold by the litre.
Pokies: One-armed bandits, slot machines.
Raspberry bun: A hotdog bun covered with raspberry frosting.
Reserve: A park-- usually in a town or city.
Sealed road: Paved road.
Speedo: Speedometer.
Tiki tour: Mini tour
Tiki: Maori good luck charm sold in most shops. Usually carved from greenstone
Wop-wops: Backwoods, boondocks.