Love New Zealand

Explore the Urban Face of Auckland

2020-02-15

Explore the Urban Face of Auckland
Auckland City and the Sky Tower

It’s thought that online gambling is now all the rage in New Zealand, with the amount wagered virtually expected to double per annum between 2017 and 2024.

Of course, this trend is being driven by the huge range of New Zealand trustworthy sites that’s available to gamblers, with a number of resources aimed at helping individuals to identify the best online casinos in NZ, so here for example you can you find list of available casino brands.

However, we should also remember that brick-and-mortar gambling is also popular in New Zealand, with the SkyCity casino arguably synonymous with this industry. This is located in Auckland’s iconic Sky Tower, and we’ve prepared some fun and interesting facts about this truly exceptional location.

An Introduction to Auckland - What do you Need to Know?

Before we get started, it’s important to delve a little deeper into Auckland and its unique history in the country of New Zealand.

Make no mistake; no trip to NZ is complete without a visit to Auckland, which is dripping with charm and character and frequently ranked within the world’s top 20 most liveable cities.

So, while Auckland hasn’t frequently made the top five since 2008, it consistently ranks highly and boasts an obvious appeal to both economic migrants and ex-pats from nations such as the UK.

Auckland is also deceptively small and unique in that it’s positioned perfectly between two natural harbours. These facts combine to enable you to walk from the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the beautiful Tasman Sea in just four hours, with this 16km stroll exposing you to some of Auckland’s spectacular natural landmarks.

There are other interesting statistics about Auckland, not least the fact that there are over 50 volcanos located within its boundaries. This is genuinely unusual for a ‘big’ city location and bustling metropolis, but few locations combine city structures and natural beauty like Auckland.

These volcanoes have originated from a magma source, which is located 100km under the city and contributes to some of the city’s most iconic and aesthetically pleasing landscapes.

As we’ve already touched on, Auckland is also positioned between two natural harbours, hence it’s fond nickname of ‘the City of Sails’.

Some truly wonderful waterways and landscapes run between the peninsula between the Waitemata and Manukau harbours, and this is why Auckland is one of the most popular locations amongst yachting and boating enthusiasts.

Fun Facts About the SkyCity Casino and Sky Tower

Sky Tower in Auckland. Copyright: Hayes Photography
Sky Tower in Auckland

Auckland is also home to the iconic Sky Tower, which features the SkyCasino entertainment complex that includes 20 bars, two hotels, a theatre and New Zealand’s most beguiling casino floors.

The Sky Tower is certainly an impressive structural form, and one that took just two years and nine months to build. This is some achievement, especially when you consider that the structure has three circular public observation levels (the SkyDeck, Main Observation level and Sky Cafe), each of which offers a stunning 360-degree of Auckland.

To this end, there are three glass-fronted elevators that can take a staggering 225 people to these observation levels every 15 minutes, with these entities travelling at 18km per hour and taking just 40 seconds on average to reach their destination.

On a clear day, you can see approximately 82km (or 51 miles) from the Sky Tower peak. This enables you to view landmarks as far north as the Leigh Peninsula and as far east as the Great Barrier Island.

You can also view the Waitakere Ranges landmark in the far west, as well as the southern location referred to as the Bombay Hills.

On a similar note, there are a whopping 1,267 steps from the base of the Sky Tower to the Sky Deck. When walking at a normal pace of 4km per hour, it would take approximately 29 minutes to reach the Sky Deck, which we’re sure you’ll agree is quite a stroll.

However, not everyone takes so long to find their way to the peak of the Sky Tower, with Germany’s Thomas Dold having previously set an astounding record of running to the peak of the structure in just four minutes and 53 seconds.

Ultimately, the Sky Tower is a fascinating structure and the ideal embodiment of modern construction principles, and far more than just the home of a superb casino location.

Make no mistake; the building also boasts foundations that plunge more than 15 metres into the earth and has been designed to remain essentially undamaged during heavy storms, and is thought to have the capacity to withstand hurricane-strength winds of up to 200km-per-hour (or 125mph).

Interestingly, it was also necessary to keep the Sky Tower perfectly straight during the construction process, with this providing significant challenges to those in charge of this ambitious project!