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catipoo
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Shanghai Lils
shanghai lils is a lovely little bar set away from the Aucklands main nightlife area. It has great character with a 1930’s feel to it. The décor is completely unique with authentic statues, ornaments, paintings and even cosy fireplaces. There is lots of seating including lots of comfortable sofas and an outdoor seating area for drinking and smoking. The music is very fitting with the 1930’s décor and provides a cheerfully laid back atmosphere. It also has a very locals vibe to it and not that of the tourist atmosphere you stumble upon in many other places. The friendly staff make you feel very welcome and the selection of drinks at great prices almost don’t seem relevant!
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Moyleb33
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NAKEDBUS.COM
There are many ways of travelling around New Zealand, the most widely marketed being the Kiwi Experience and Contiki. For those looking for a bit more independence and flexibilty there's Intercity.
A lesser known option however is NAKEDBUS.COM
They have a great webside detailing their routes and fares. They also do regular specials including $1 specials.
The clientele do tend to be quite young but that's what you'd expect on a budget travel option.
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Timsaunders
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U2 and Their Links To One Tree Hill
Anyone familiar with U2's album The Joshua Tree may remember a song called One Tree Hill. The haunting melody was inspired by a tragic accident, and refers to a place in Auckland, the biggest city in New Zealand.
One Tree Hill stands sentry over the city like a guardian angel, watching the lives that unfold at its feet. It is actually a dormant volcano, one of over 90 volcanic cones in the region. It was once the sight of a Maori settlement, and was named after the solitary tree planted on its summit in 1640.
It is also the place where a young New Zealander named Greg Carroll took U2 singer Bono on the band's first night in Auckland in 1985. The two quickly became friends, and Carroll became Bono's personal assistant.
Unfortunately, Carroll was killed in 1986, when he was hit by a car while running an errand for Bono on Bono's motorcycle. The singer was deeply hurt by the loss, and the lyrics he wrote describe the traditional Maori burial Greg Carroll received. The band always perform the song live when playing concerts in New Zealand.
One Tree Hill has also been the sight of many protests over the years, most of them to do with the treatment of Maori by the European settlers. A succession of trees planted on the hill have been cut down to raise awareness of various issues, the last being removed in October 2000, when the council decided the tree was unsafe.
One Tree Hill has several access ways and walks to the summit, and there is also a well-maintained road leading to the top. It is a place to reflect on your journeys through this southern land, and to remember the people who have come before us.
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Timsaunders
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Auckland Sky Tower
The 328 metre high Sky Tower in Auckland may only be the 12th tallest tower in the world, but any Kiwi you meet will be quick to tell you that it is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere. Quite often you can detect immense pride in their voices as they tell you that it is taller than anything they have over "the ditch" in Australia, even though it is only the long mast on the top of the Sky Tower that gives it its official height (in another fine effort to break a world record, the mast houses an FM antenna that broadcasts 17 stations - more than any other single antenna on the planet). Kiwis will also tell you that, if you had the inclination and the patience, you could stack 37 buses on top of each other end to end to reach the same height as the Sky Tower (obviously this will catch on as another extreme sport in the near future), and the tower weighs as much as 6000 elephants (one wonders if they mean the giant elephants used in the Lord of the Rings movies, as they are obviously native to New Zealand...).
I have made the trip up the Sky Tower several times in the glass fronted elevators (which travel at 18 km/hour, and only take 40 seconds to reach the first observation level). However, I have never attempted to climb the 1267 steps that also run up to the top (every year a gut wrenching race called The Vertical Challenge is run up to the first observation level).
There are three observation levels, situated at 186 metres, 194 metres, and 220 metres. The lowest level has glass panels on the floor on which you can stand and look straight down at the street below. There is also a revolving restaurant situated at 190 metres (bookings are advised for this, but really I was not too impressed with the food when I was there. Very plain).
One of the coolest things you can do (and Mum doesn't know I've done this, so please don't tell her), is the 190 metre Sky Jump. This is a base jump controlled by a wire. After a quick reflection on your life as it flashes in front of your eyes (which are probably squeezed tightly shut anyway), you launch yourself off the Sky Tower wearing a harness and a snazzy jumpsuit. A free fall of 16 seconds (at 75 km/hour) is followed by a gradual slowing down as the wire takes your weight and you slowly descend the last few metres to the ground. It's well worth the $195NZ, and I think it is a lot more fun than stacking buses.
The Sky Tower is open from 8:30am until late, and costs a (very pricey) $25 adults, $8 children, or $18 if you can show them suitable student or backpacker ID.
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