Going to great heights

When we moved to Auckland nine months ago, the kids were unanimous: The first thing they wanted to see was the Sky Tower.

The awesome views, glass floor panels, and the sight of people leaping past the windows, made the Sky Tower an instant family hint. In fact, the only thing that disappointed the kids was that they weren’t allowed to jump off or walk around it. (Children must be at least 10 to do the Sky Jump and Sky Walk. Thankfully.) Since then, Mr 8 and Miss 6 have begged, nagged, and pleaded for a return visit.

During the day, they take turns to watch for orange-clad figures walking around it, high above us, as we go past. At night, they compete to be the first to see it light up. And in foggy, rainy weather, they marvel when the tower occasionally disappears. So when a long weekend coincided with an excellent room rate, we decided to surprise them with a mini-break there. In need of a few days off, but not fancying a long drive with the rest of Auckland, the idea of a holiday in our adopted home city seemed genius!
We chose the SKYCITY Hotel, which is attached to the famous tower. There’s a more upmarket hotel called the SKYCITY Grand as well.

We didn’t tell the kids our destination, and they were still grumbling at the thought of a long drive when we pulled up outside the hotel 20 minutes later. Cue screams of delight. “Are we sleeping in the Sky Tower?” asked Miss Six excitedly. “Have they put beds in it?” Er well, no, not exactly in the Sky Tower. Cue tears.

Never mind. Once we explained, a hotel room next door was an acceptable alternative. We arrived early so we’d have time to take in a family movie at SKYCITY cinemas first. We hardly ever make it into the city these days, and the kids voted the futuristic-style cinema, with its rocket-shaped lift, a step above our usual suburban haunt.


Back at the hotel, there was time for a swim in the outdoor heated pool. Well, the kids swam, and I watched, shivering. How is it that kids never feel the cold?
There were loads of other families staying that weekend, so our children made instant friends to play with. The room itself was fairly basic, and the kids were disappointed they couldn’t actually see anyone jumping from our windows; however a visit to the tower itself soon had them smiling again.

The children squealed with laughter as the glass-floor lift effortlessly shot us to the top. At 328 metres, the Sky Tower is New Zealand’s tallest man-made construction, so there was no way I was going to take a leap of faith to freefall off it. The option of walking around the perimeter from a mere 192 metres above the ground was no more inviting. Instead I looked on, feeling nauseous, as the kids lay on the glass panels and exclaimed at the tiny cars and ant-like people far below.

Lying on the glass floor panels


The kids pose with the scrum for a team photo


After such a busy day, we opted for the novelty of room service for dinner while watching yet another movie, this time from the comfort of our beds.

The next morning, I took the kids for another swim, while my husband emptied his wallet at the casino. Check-out and check-in were the only annoying parts of our stay – the process took ages because there were so many people queuing to do the same thing.
Mercifully, the drive home was so quick the kids didn’t even have time to ask: Are we there yet?

Overall, it was a fantastic Weekend Away At Home, and I’m sure we’ll be back. Just wait until the kids find out there’s a revolving restaurant at the top!

Photos and story by Bronwyn Marquardt, June 2009