Auckland's iconic Sky Tower was struck by lightning during Wednesday's thunderstorm.
Local man Andrew Stanley filmed the dramatic weather moment from College Hill. As dark clouds swirl over the skyline, a bolt of lightning snakes down from the heavens and hits the very tip of the country's tallest building.
A SKYCITY spokesperson confirmed to Newshub the tower is "100 percent safe" despite being struck. A staff member will scale the mast tomorrow to take a reading on how many times it's been struck by lightning so far this year.
There were five lightning strikes in 2017.
As the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere, the Sky Tower was designed to withstand extreme weather of all kinds.
It's fully earthed, which means the 328m building has been fitted with conductors that direct the electrical current from a lightning bolt into the ground. It also has a 50cm-wide "dynasphere" at the top of its mast which also conducts lightning.
The protective system ensures everyone inside the tower is safe and won't feel the effects of lightning striking the building.
The Sky Tower can also handle very high winds thanks to its strong foundations that spread its force load and ensure it won't topple over in even the worst Auckland storm.
It would only start having trouble if winds got up to 200km/h - a freak weather event only expected to happen once every 1000 years.
Newshub.
