RO: Asa-i ca orice oras din lumea asta mare are o cladire emblematica? Un palat, o catedrala, un turn, o opera, o statuie, o poarta, o ceva? Asa si cu Auckland, cel mai mare si mai aglomerat oras al Noii Zeelande. Ii vezi turnul Sky Tower din avion, de pe oricare dintre insulele golfului Hauraki, din varf de munte Eden sau din camera de hotel. Pe orice magnet de frigider sau carte postala, in orice ghid turistic, in orice articol de pe internet. Ce sa mai tura-vura, Sky Tower, cu tot complexul Sky City, defineste orasul si intreaga insula nordica. Pentru ca fara nicio suparare, insula sudica are asul ei in maneca cu Muntele Cook! Si-oricat de grandioase ar fi constructiile umane, nimic nu poate concura cu Mama Natura cand vine vorba de minunatii arhitecturale naturale.

EN: Isn’t it true that any city in this big world has an iconic building? A palace, a cathedral, a tower, an opera, a statue, a gate, a “something”? That’s exactly what happens with Auckland as well, the biggest and most crowded city of New Zealand. You can see its tower from the airplane, from each island from Hauraki gulf, from the top of Mt Eden or from your hotel room. On any fridge magnet or postcard, in any touristic guide, in any article on the Internet. No more talking, Sky Tower, with the entire Sky City complex, defines the city and the entire northern island. No offense, but the southern island has its ace up the sleeve with Mount Cook! And no matter how grandiose the human constructions might be, nothing can compete with Mother Nature when it comes to natural architectural wonders.

RO: Dar hei, suntem in Auckland si-avem in brate un vraf intreg de pliante si doua ghiduri turistice care aproape ca ne urla in timpane sa urcam in turn. Pai cum sa ratezi tu, turistule, s-ajungi in cea mai inalta cladire din emisfera sudica? Asta pana cand s-or supara vecinii australieni si or termina constructia din Melbourne. Ca doar cum sa fie aussies mai prejos de neozeelandezi? Insa pan’ atunci, Sky Tower detine suprematia! Si de nu-ti suna prea tentant SkyJump-ul, si-anume sa te arunci de nebun de la 192 de metri pana prinzi mai bine de 85km/ora viteza, legat de-un simplu cablu, si nici SkyWalk-ul, impopotonat intr-un costum portocaliu si prins in chingi pe marginea platformei, macar sa urci pan’ la etajul 53 sa iei un pranz in restaurantul rotativ, Sugar Club. Sau si mai bine, sa te duci direct la platforma de observare de la etajul 60 (Sky Deck) de unde vezi intreg orasul de la 220 de metri inaltime!

EN: But hey, we’re in Auckland and we have an entire bulk of prospectus and two touristic guides that almost shout at us to go up on the tower. And how could you, the tourist, miss climbing into the tallest building in the southern hemisphere? Well, that’s just until the Australian neighbors will finish the construction from Melbourne. Of course the Aussies had to strike back! 🙂 But until that happens, Sky Tower is in power! And if you are not tempted to SkyJump from 192 meters height until you get to 85km/hour speed (bounded with a simple cable), and SkyWalk doesn’t sound good either, dressed up with an orange costume and tied up with bands on the edge of the platform, at least you can go up to the 53rd floor and have lunch at the revolving restaurant, Sugar Club. Or even better than that, you can go straight to the upper deck at 60th floor (Sky Deck), from where you can see the entire city from 220 meters height!







RO: Sa vezi Westhaven Marina undeva in stanga, si podul care leaga orasul de malul nordic, si-apoi si Viaduct Harbour cu toate iahturile ancorate-n port si restaurantele cu staif de pe promenada. Si undeva in departare, dupa Devonport, sa vezi conul vulcanic al insulei Rangitoto din mijloc de golf Hauraki! Si poate-un pic de insula Waiheke, sa-ti faca pofta de un tur pe la podgorii si-un vin bun. Si undeva in dreapta si-o urma de peninsula Coromandel, in caz ca ti-o fi dor de vreo plaja frumoasa si-o cafenea pe marginea plajei. 360 de grade de priveliste din varf de turn! Apropo, pozele au o tenta albastruie din cauza geamurilor.

EN: To see the Westhaven Marina somewhere on the left hand side , and the bridge that connects the city to the northern shore, and then the Viaduct Harbour with all its yachts anchored in the port and the fancy restaurants on the promenade. And somewhere far away, after Devonport, you can see the volcanic cone from Rangitoto island in the middle of Hauraki gulf! And maybe just a tiny bit of Waiheke island, to make you crave for some tour through the wineries and a good wine. And somewhere on the right hand side you’ll spot a part of Coromandel peninsula, just in case you’re longing for some beautiful beaches and a cafe close to the sea. 360 degrees of view from the tower! By the way, the pictures have a bluish hue because of the windows.















RO: Cine mai are nevoie de carte postala cand ai umplut cardul aparatului cu poze si inca n-ai ajuns si la platforma de mai jos, de la nivelul 51 (Main Observation Level). Si evident ca nu pentru priveliste cobori de la Sky Deck, ca doar n-o fi sa fie unghiul de cuprindere mai bun, insa pentru o cafea si-o inghetata Kapiti la Sky Cafe… parca asa mai venim de-acasa! Aaa, apropo, sa nu uitam! Pana in septembrie 2017 cei de la Sky Tower au o promotie de 50% reducere pentru cei care vin a doua oara sa viziteze turnul. Practic trebuie doar sa prezinti biletul cumparat initial, si primesti pe loc reducerea. In caz ca pleaca vreunul dintre voi in perioada urmatoare in Auckland si are in plan sa vada turnul, mai avem inca cele doua bilete cumparate si le putem oferi cu mare drag 🙂 Nu de alta, dar un bilet costa 29 NZD, deci nu-i de colo reducerea 🙂

EN: Who needs a postcard when you’ve filled your camera card with photos and you still haven’t reached the lower deck, from 51st floor (Main Observation Level). And obviously you’re not gonna descend from the Sky Deck for the view, as the angle of view is not better, buuut for a coffee and a Kapiti ice cream from Sky Cafe… that’s more like it! Aaa, and by the way! Until September 2017 Sky Tower has a 50% promotion for the ones that come and visit the tower for the second time. Basically you just have to present the initially bought ticket, and you get the discount right away. So just in case one of you is planning to visit Auckland in the near future and wants to see the tower, we still have the two tickets we bought and we can offer them to any of you 🙂 A ticket costs 29 NZD, so the discount is quite something 🙂 

RO: Bun, dar Sky City nu inseamna doar turnul, pai ce credeam noi? Sky City, dupa cum ii spune si numele, e-aproape un oras intreg! 20 de restaurante si baruri, de toate tipurile si pentru toate preferintele, doua hoteluri, un teatru, o parcare subterana uriasa, magazine de suveniruri si-un cazino deschis la orice ora din zi si din noapte. Asta doar asa, in caz ca ramai fara finante pentru campervan in insula sudica, ai unde sa-ti incerci norocu’. Cat despre hoteluri, hmm, avem asa: fie Skycity Grand Hotel, ceva mai luxos si mai pretentios, fie Skycity Hotel, un pic mai accesibil. Am mers pe mana Skycity Hotel-ului.

EN: Ok, but Sky City doesn’t mean only the tower, what have we thought? Sky City, as the name also indicates, it’s almost an entire city! 20 restaurants and bars, all types of them and for every preference, two hotels, a theater, a huge underground parking, souvenir shops and a casino open at every hour of the day (and night:D). We’re just mentioning this in case you’re out of finances for camper van on the southern island and you fancy to try your luck. As for the hotels, there we have: Skycity Grand Hotel, a bit more luxurious and fancy, and Skycity Hotel, more moderate. We have chosen Skycity Hotel.






RO: O buba are insa intregul complex Sky City. Si-anume parcarea. Dumnezeule mare, e-o tortura sa gasesti un loc in tot mastodontul de parcare, si-apoi la intoarcere sa iti gasesti masina. Nici nu-i de mirare ca au peste tot masinarii de “Find My Car”. Si-asta ca asta, ca nu-i atat de dureros sa dai ture prin parcare cu urechile ciulite dupa alarma masinii. Ce-i cu adevarat usturator e pretul parcarii. Ce algoritm de calcul or folosi, Dumnezeu cu mila, cert e ca daca ai apucat sa intri in parcare, bam, 15 NZD intrarea. Daca ai lasat-o peste noapte, bam 25 NZD. Una peste alta, pentru o noapte de parcare si-o iesire din parcare, ne-am lipsit de… nici mai mult, nici mai putin de 65 NZD. Lectie invatata pentru data viitoare: ori dai 40 NZD pentru asa numita “valet parking”, care iti permite sa intri si sa iesi de cate ori vrei, ori si mai inteligent, dai 10 NZD pe zi la parcarea publica de peste drum.

EN: There’s only one problem with the entire Sky City complex. And that’s the parking. Good Lord, it’s a real torture to find a parking spot in all that huge parking, and at the end, to find your car. No wonder you’ll find everywhere those “Find My Car” machineries. And let’s say that it is not that painful to wander around the parking with your ears wide open to hear your car’s alarm. What’s really the problem is the cost of the parking. What kind of algorithm do they use, God knows, but if you managed to get into the parking…. baaaam, 15 NZD. If you left it there over night, baaaam 25 NZD. All in all, for one overnight and one exit from the parking, we had to pay neither more nor less than 65 NZD. Lesson learned for next time: you either pay 40 NZD for the so called “valet parking” which allows you to enter and exit as much as you want, or you pay 10 NZD for the public parking across the road.

RO: Una peste alta, Sky City e doar unul dintre cele n motive care fac Auckland-ul sa fie printre cele mai preferate orase in care sa traiesti. Cel putin asa spune studiul de piata facut de cei de la Mercer Quality of Living! Pai si cum sa fie altfel cand ai golful Hauraki cel plin de insulite vulcanice la vest, si portul Manukau la est? Plaje superbe in orice directie ai apuca-o, dealurile impadurite, promenadele frumoase din Viaduct Harbour, cartierul hipsteresc Wynyard, strada Queen cea plina de magazine si cladiri de birouri, portul Waitemata pliiiin de iahturi si feriboturi, Devonport-ul cu privelisti dementiale catre CBD, restaurante care mai de care mai interesante si variate, turnul Sky Tower care parca vegheaza intreg orasul si Sky City-ul cel plin de viata! In orice moment al anului, in Auckland se intampla ceva. Ba un festival cultural, ba un concert, ba cine stie ce eveniment sportiv. Unde mai pui ca daca vrei senzatii tari si adrenalina, nu trebuie sa mergi taman pana in Queenstown, capitala aventurii. Ai tot ce vrei si ce nu vrei in Auckland! Ai SkyJump daca vrei salturi periculoase de la 192 metri inaltime, ai bungee jumping de pe podul Harbour Bridge, ai mers pe platforma in SkyTower, ai cocotat pe poduri, jet boating, aventuri cu caiacul, trasee de hiking, tot ce-ti pofteste inimioara! Si daca nu ti-ai incercat norocul la cazinoul din Auckland, fii fara grija, mai ai un Sky City pe insula nordica in Hamilton. Si-n cea sudica, la Queenstown, unde altundeva?! 🙂

EN: All in all, Sky City is just one of the reasons that makes Auckland one of the most preferred cities in the world to live in. At least that’s what the study from Mercer Quality of Living says! And how could it be different when you have the Hauraki gulf full of volcanic islands to the West and the Manukau port to the East? Gorgeous beaches in any direction you would go, forested hills, beautiful promenade at Viaduct Harbour, the hipsterish district of Wynyard, the Queen street full of shops and office buildings, the Waitemata port full of yachts and ferries, Devonport with stunning views towards the CBD, interesting and diverse restaurants, the Sky Tower that seems to guard the entire city and the Sky City, full of life! There’s always something happening in the city of Auckland. Either a cultural festival, a concert, or who knows what sportive event. Not to mention that if you fancy some adrenaline, you don’t have to go straight to Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand. You have everything you could wish for here in Auckland! You have the SkyJump if you want spectacular dives from 192 meters height, bungee jumping from Harbour Bridge, you can walk on the SkyTower’s platform, you can climb the bridges, you have jet boating, kayak adventures, hiking, everything that your heart could ever ask for! And if you haven’t tried your luck in Auckland’s casino, no worries, you have another one in the northern island in Hamilton. And one in the southern island, in Queenstown, where else?! 🙂