On his first trip to New Zealand, on his first day in Auckland, Indian actor Sidharth Malhotra attempted the adrenalin-pumping Skywalk, which is 192 metres high. He says he would love Bollywood’s action man Akshay Kumar to try it.
The Student Of The Year actor, who has been named the first Indian ambassador for Tourism New Zealand, landed in Auckland on Sunday morning to a warm welcome by his fans at the airport.
And just about an hour later, he was on his way to walk on the edge of the 1.2 metre-wide walkway around the world famous 325 metre-tall SkyTower.
“Surreal” is the word that came to Malhotra’s mind right after he finished his walk, he said.
“My experience was amazing. It is a one-of-its-kind activity, and so you don’t even really know what you should expect, because you’re walking outside one of the tallest building in the southern hemisphere,” Malhotra said.
When asked if he’d recommend it to any of his Bollywood friends, he said: “Akshay paaji [Akshay Kumar] would want to do it definitely, and he would do it easily! He will jump off [the SkyJump]. I would surely tell him, ‘Akshay sir, please check this out’.”
It was a windy day, but the sky was clear, and Malhotra’s had a good bird’s-eye view of the city, known for its picturesque landscape.
He admits the thought of walking without handrails is scary at first, but said: “After a point, it becomes such a surreal experience to lean back and let go ... it’s so liberating ... living on the edge.”
Malhotra said that while he has no phobia of heights, he feels if people who are scared of heights could attempt this “safe adventure”, the experience could help them get over it.
“It’s a great mix of adventure sport and taking in a view of the city,” he added.
Most of all, he said, the activity — one of the most frequented by tourists in Auckland — helped him get over his jet lag. Malhotra had only just finished a schedule of Baar Baar Dekho in Glasgow before he went to Mumbai, and left for his eight-day trip to New Zealand on Saturday.
In the city, he will sample the culture, adventure, scenery, history and hospitality of the country, which attracted over 43,000 visitors from India last year.
