What it is
Designed by Gordon Moller of Craig Craig Moller Architects, the tower was built in under three years and opened on 3 August 1997. Besides being a tourist attraction it carries FM radio, digital television and microwave links, and it is lit in different colours for special occasions and used for the New Year's fireworks.
The main observation deck at 186 metres has glass floor panels, and the Sky Deck at 220 metres offers views of up to 82 kilometres on a clear day. Orbit, a revolving restaurant at 190 metres, turns a full circle every hour, while the SkyWalk circles the outside of the pod and the SkyJump is a cable-controlled 192-metre descent to the plaza below.
Getting there by bus
The tower stands above Te Waihorotiu Station, the new underground station on the City Rail Link. Stop G Te Waihorotiu Station (stop 7081), about 90 metres away, is served by buses 105, 106, 11T, 11W, 18, 195, 209 and WX1, and the station platforms (stops 9297 and 9298) are used by trains on the E-W and S-C lines.
On Victoria Street West, Vogel Lane (stop 1095) and SkyCity Auckland (stop 1083) are served by routes 22N, 22R, 24B and 24R. The International Convention Centre stop (stop 1089), about three minutes' walk away, has routes 75, 82, 101, NX2 and the Outer Link (OUT).
