 | Auckland Kelly Tarltons Underwater World Reviews | 1 - 10 of 19 |  |
Also here, besides the Aquarium fish and sharks swimming all around you behind perspex as you admire them from the moving walkway, there are touch tanks in the foyer before you get to the souvenir shop with lobster and other sea creatures in, plus a kids marine room with a mini touch pool and other interesting things for them to do, and fish in small tanks to admire.
Before you enter the Snow Cat to see the penguins, you first pass through an exhibition which is a replica scale model of the Antarctic hut from the Shackleton expeditions, complete with furniture, piano, and cabin interior, and black and white photos on display which were taken on the original expedition. Plus, you can watch video and listen to audio about the expedition. Rather interesting. Leave a Comment
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I must admit I am a bit disappointed with Kelly Tarlton's. We are a bit early and the staff make us wait outside for eight minutes before they let us in and even then they are not ready. The start fo the "adventure" is a walk through a replica of Scott's Antarctic hut which is very interesting. Leave a Comment
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I'd visited Kelly Tarlton's many years ago, when it first opened about 17 years ago. Back then, I think it was the first of its kind, and the Sydney and Melbourne Aquariums followed up on the idea.
What makes Kelly Tarlton's so unique though to me, is that it has Penguins too! King Penguins and another smaller type I'd never heard of or seen before - Gentoo (but still much larger than blue fairy penguins we have in Australia).
The penguins have their own ice arena (several tonnes of snow made/brought in each day) and surrounding this 'ice berg' which really doesn't look too bad (the penguins must like it too as they even breed on it) is their large swimming pond. You can watch them swimming through the glass display in another part of the attraction, then go inside and ride in a heated snow cat in a loop around their arena, where you can see them at much closer range. Very well done indeed! Leave a Comment
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Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World is a unique aquarium. The first part has a walk through a replica snow hut from the early 1900s. Then you get a ride on a snow cat through an area where a colony of penguins live. The aquarium part is pretty amazing. You can stand on a conveyor belt that takes you through a transparent tunnel. Above and on the side of you there are fish, rays and sharks swimming by.
Kelly Tarlton's is not a big place so you will only need about an hour to look around but it is worth the visit.
We got a free pickup from Skytower.
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Already the drive along the bays of Auckland Harbour is nice and relaxing, and Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World and Antarctic Encounter is well worth the visit although it is very touristy. But it still is a place you should not miss.
The Antarctic section which includes historic items and the recreation of Scott's hut from the early days of the great explorations cannot really compete with the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, as this is the place where the real Antarctic journeys start. But you won't see penguins like at Kelly Tarlton's in Christchurch where they have just introduced a colony of Little Blues.
Kelly Tarlton's features King and Gentoo Penguins. The big King Penguins - only the Emperors are bigger - look like inflated toy animals when they stand on the ice without motion. The Gentoos are similar, just a little smaller and not as colourful as the Kings with their yellow throats. One of them is said to dance in front of the cameras but on my visits I did not see that. (And really, would it not be terrible if he would dance on command?)
The penguins get fresh snow and ice, freezing temperatures and changing daylight cycles, so they feel a bit like home. I am sure they would prefer to live in the Antarctic but they are still nice to watch from the snow-mobile that transports you through their icy enclosure.
Kelly Tarlton's has started in 1985 with the Underwater World, and this is really something. You walk through a transparent acrylic tunnel, and sharks, giant stingrays, squids, piranhas and less scary fish and other marine creatures like sea horses and crayfish swim around you - in fact, right in front of your nose, at some centimetres.
It is rather scary to watch the staff in the tanks feeding the sea predators. The sharks get handfed on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1.30pm, stingray (11am, 1pm, 3pm) and penguin encounters (10am+4pm) are daily.
Open daily 9am-6pm
Entry fee: adults $29.50 (online 26.55), children (4-14y) $14/12.60, family passes available. (Prices as July 2008)
Update July 2008
If you do not know what to do with your last NZ$ 100 - perhaps you want to spend them on plunging in a pool with a 200 kilo short-tailed stingray? That is the latest attraction they offer at Kelly Tarlton's. You do not need diving or snorkelling experience on this guided plunge - just overcome the thought that the Crocodile Man Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray, perhaps... Right after my visit I saw it on Breakfast TV. They said you should not step towards the stingrays. Ok then ;-)
Cost is NZ$ 98.50 (including admission), children (minimum height 130 cm) $ 83. Phone: (0800) 805 050, (09) 528 0603Directions: 6km east from downtown AKL, straight ahead on Quay St, continues as Tamaki Drive along waterfront. - Stagecoach bus from Britomart platform D13 in Tyler St (off Queen St). - Explorer Bus from Ferry Building on Quay St. - Free shuttle from Sky City Hotel.Website: www.kellytarltons.co.nz
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Being a penguin fanatic, I am taken with the penguins in the place. At the ubiquitous gift shop at the end of the tour, I even buy two penguin ornaments! Leave a Comment
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We amuse ourselves for a few minutes taking a photograph at the cardboard cut-out. It's touristy, but what the heck! Leave a Comment
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There is a waiting line to enter both... we were lucky, we had booked ourselves on the city tour via Great Sights so we just wizzed pass the entire line like VIP's..
Kelly is great one can see various type of quatic creatures...one great hit was holding a live star fish in your hands... and meet the Penguin cool too.. Leave a Comment
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Next we board a "snowcat" for a short journey through "subarctic conditions" at minus seven degrees. More like a poor fairground ride. A few penguins sitting on an iceberg and a man spraying snow from a hosepipe. Leave a Comment
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The Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World is an amazing visitor experience, I had a great time there. There is an excellent underwater tunnel where it's almost like being in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by sharks, stingrays and other kinds of marine life. But what I liked most was the replica of Robert Scott's hut used in his South Pole expedition, it feels very authentic. And I also loved to see the penguins from the snowcat ride: they are such incredible creatures. When I was there, the King penguin colony had a chick who was already as large as the adults, but still had a baby's fluffy brown feathers. It was a very funny sight, like a penguin dressed in a costume. Leave a Comment
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