London as far as the Eye can see

London's trumpeted Millennium Dome may be in trouble, but its South Bank cousin is on an eye-popping roll, writes DONNA FLEMING.

There are, it seems, two essential items people take when they go for a ride on Britain's latest attraction, the London Eye.

They take a camera to snap the amazing views over England's capital city from the huge slow-motion Ferris wheel, and a mobile phone.

That's what every other person in our passenger capsule seemed to be carrying when we took a ride on the world's biggest wheel.

True, it had been open to the public for only a couple of weeks and was still a novelty, so you couldn't blame people for wanting to ring up friends and family to boast about where they were calling from.

Even a bunch of Italian tourists got in on the act, pulling out phones that were colour coordinated with their designer outfits. In the torrent of rapid-fire Italian I could make out the words, "Big Ben, Buckingham Palace" and "bellissimo."

Then there was Terry. During the almost half-hour ride, the Cockney lad made about 10 identical calls with the conversation going something like: "Ello, Terry 'ere. Guess where I am? I'm on the London Eye. It's amazing, mate. 'Ave a look at this view." At which point he actually removed the phone from his ear for a few seconds and held it against the glass. "Marvellous, innit?"

Terry was right. The view is marvellous. On a clear day (apparently) you can see for 40km - as far as Windsor Castle. We went up on a dull grey day and couldn't see quite that distance, but the view was still stunning.

The Eye is at Jubilee Gardens on the South Bank of the River Thames, between the Westminster and Hungerford Bridges and diagonally opposite the Houses Of Parliament.

The first landmarks you'll see as you go up are Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Charing Cross Station, Cleopatra's Needle, Royal Festival Hall and Lambeth Palace.

As the Eye makes its slow ascent, you look out to St James' Park and Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, the Millennium Dome and the Thames Barrier.

And that's just for starters.

It's a good idea to buy a copy of the official souvenir booklet called The Essential Guide ($15) or take a London A to Z so you know what you're looking at. Binoculars can be hired for $8.

The wheel moves continuously - it's in motion as you embark and disembark - at 26cm a second. It takes 26 minutes to go full circle and the passenger capsules rotate around the outside of the wheel, so the view is never obstructed by the structure.

Each capsule holds up to 25 people. There's a bench seat in the middle of each one but most people tend to walk around to catch the different views.

A staff member rides in each capsule to answer questions and in case of emergency, although it would be interesting to know how they'd get you down in a hurry if something did go wrong.

At its highest point, the London Eye is 135m tall. NatWest Tower, Canary Wharf and the BT Tower are all taller but not open to the public, so this is definitely the best view you'll get over the city.

It took seven years to get the wheel up and running. It was supposed to be finished in time for the millennium celebrations, but holdups delayed the opening until February.

But when you realise the amount of work that went into constructing and assembling it, you feel a little more inclined to excuse the makers for missing the deadline.

The pieces of the 1900-tonne structure were made all round Europe and each section was transported up the Thames by barge, including the heaviest part - the hub and spindle, which weigh 330 tonnes. It was then assembled horizontally on temporary platforms built up from the river bed.

The rim sections were joined together first and lifted into place by a floating crane. The A-frame legs were then attached to the hub and spindle and the rim connected by steel cables.

The legs were founded deep beneath the ground in Jubilee Gardens, but they're cleverly hinged at the base so they could be used to lift the rim from the river into a vertical position.

The London Eye was built under the sponsorship of British Airways, which has naming rights, and, according to the publicity blurb, it delivers unparalleled views as you "fly over" the city skyline.

They're exaggerating - but not by much.

CASENOTES

WHEN: The London Eye is open from 9 am to 10 pm from April 1 to October 31, and 10 am to 6 pm from November 1 to March 31.

COST: Tickets are $24 for adults and $16 for children 15 and under. They can be pre-booked by calling 0870 5000 600 from within the UK, or 0044 870 5000 600 from New Zealand. You will have to state the day and time you wish to go.

You can take your chances and just turn up at the wheel but you're unlikely to get on during summer weekends.

WHERE: The London Eye is at Jubilee Gardens on the South Bank. The nearest tube stations are Waterloo, Westminster and Embankment, while Waterloo is the closest train station. Several buses stop nearby, and various boat operators make trips up and down the Thames.

MORE INFO: Visit the London Eye Website at www.balondoneye.com