Durie Tower and Elevator

There are 176 steps to the top of the Durie Tower, but the puffs and pants are worth it for the best view of the river and its steamboats – reduced from this vantage point to the size of bath toys. The tower was built in 1925 as a memorial to 500 local members of the armed services killed in WW1. Durie Tower can also be accessed from the city via an unusual lift through the hill, built in 1919. It includes a 213m-long tunnel and 66m-long elevator shaft. As the country’s only underground public lift, it’s distinctive and there is a hand crank available should the power fail. The elevator trip costs $2 each way.

2 Tower Crescent, Durie Hill. 0800 92 64 26. Tunnel entrance, 42 Anzac Parade.