Imagine flying through the air 186 metres above Auckland City on a sparkling summer’s day.
At the top of Auckland’s iconic Sky Tower you can now have this very experience, even if it’s a wet and windy in the middle of winter.
The new SkySlide virtual reality tour lets you fly on a sleek, swooping wood and glass slide that snakes around the tower in an immersive multi-sensory experience. Wearing an Oculus Rift S VR headset, the tour encompasses expansive views over the city, taking in the jewel tones of the Waitematā Harbour, yachts moored in marinas or at sail, the ubiquitous arch of the Harbour Bridge and all the tiny buildings below – all in detail etched to match the actual views from the Sky Tower’s observation deck.
But you may not even notice the views. Buckled into a wooden seat that mimics the curve of the slide, you’ll twist around the flanks of the Sky Tower, loop up and over steep slopes and plunge over vertical drops. At some points, alarmingly, the slide even stops so you’ll feel your stomach lurch as you seem to be temporarily hurtling through the air.
The SkySlide seat uses an innovative 3DoF (3 Degrees of Freedom) motion platform that includes multiple axes of movement – pitching front to back, rolling side to side and heaving up and down – with maximum angles of between -20 and 25 degrees to create a realistic slide experience.
With crisp graphics inspired by the London Shard VR experience you’ll be amazed at how the combination of simulated movement and immersive imagery trick your brain into thinking you’re really flying high above Auckland City.
The SkySlide is available for $15 in addition to your Sky Tower admission, with experiences running daily from 10.30am until 5.30pm.
Thanks to SkyCity for providing this experience.
