Sky Jumping

By J M Stewart

This destination is definitely NOT for the faint-hearted nor those who suffer from vertigo! It's one of the southern hemisphere's tallest structures -- Auckland's 328m Sky Tower.

According to the operators,"It took 2000 tonnes of reinforcing steel, 660 tonnes of structural steel and 15,000 cubic metres of concrete to erect it. It can withstand 200km/h winds, earthquakes up to eight on the Richter scale."

If you're lucky enough to be up there on a clear day, you can see for around 82km. The Sky Deck has seamless glass walls that give breathtaking 360 views.

Even if you can't come at the Jump, the three glass-fronted elevators can take 225 people to the observation levels every 15 minutes. And at 18km/h the ride takes just 40 seconds -- and that's scary enough for me!

If you're one of those who would rather walk, there are 1267 steps from the base to the Sky Deck.

Sky Jump offers brave (read "foolhardy!") people the chance to try the world's highest land-based jump of 192m. They claim to have eliminated danger by using a fan descender, similar to that used in the movie stunt industry ... Hmmm ...

Jumpers are harnessed to a cable and start by standing on a six metre platform on the Observatory level of the Tower, 200m above ground. Then they launch themselves into space where the fall is controlled to around 60km/h which is slower than a free-fall and allows time to look around -- providing the jumper's eyes are open!

The operators describe the experience as being "hard on the mind, easy on the body".

J M Stewart is a freelance writer and editor.

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