Auckland, New Zealand: Sky Tower

It's rather hard to miss the Sky Tower, even if it is in the middle of downtown Auckland. The size is the reason why. The tower is more than 1,000 feet tall, which is the second-tallest such structure in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one in Jakarta is bigger. As you can imagine, New Zealand takes a lot of pride in this building. 

The tower is part of a casino complex located in the center city called SkyCity. Planning started in the early 1990s, and construction began in 1994. It took about three years to finish, as the opening was in 1997. The idea for the project was to boost telecommunications (television and wireless internet, for example), although tourism received a push too. 

As you'd expect, there are lots of  safeguards built in to a project this tall. For example, it is designed to withstand winds of 120 miles per house, and can sway about a meter when a nasty storm comes up. It can handle an 8.0 earthquake as well.  

There are some observation decks that give great views of the area, and a revolving bar/restaurant. There is something of a metal sidewalk that goes around one of the observation decks. Yes, visitors are attached so that they don't fall off (but they pose for photos leaning over). Meanwhile, the SkyJump is a line that goes from a platform down to the ground. It only takes a few seconds for thrill-seekers to make the jump. 

For what it's worth, there's a gift shop at the bottom near the entrance. It's surprising that there are mostly generic Auckland/New Zealand souvenirs there instead of items pertaining to the towers. Felt like a missed opportunity.