Kelly Tarlton’s SEA LIFE Aquarium is a bit of a kiwi institution. Opened in 1985, many New Zealand kids will have fond memories of visiting the iconic aquarium – especially the travelator. We recently visited Kelly Tarlton’s SEA LIFE Aquarium to see creatures from the Jurassic past in their new state of the art exhibition – Jurassic Seas.
I’m liking
The original travelator tunnel was still a highlight for us and our children and we went around a few times so that we could see it properly. It was really great to be able to point out different sea animals to the children.
It’s nice to see Kelly Tarlton’s changing up their exhibitions and the new Jurassic Seas exhibition was really popular when we were there. There’s a a range of interactive activities as well as real-life Jurassic-era creatures including ancient king crabs and carpet sharks in tanks ensconced in massive dino bones. Having things that the kids can touch is always a bonus in my book!
We enjoyed watching the staff member talk about the Elephant Sharks and watching these up close was awesome.
It was also great to go back, having not been for a number of years, and see how some of the sealife has grown!
Things that made me go hmmmm
We got there just before opening and there was already a long queue, which moved slowly. Be prepared to be patient if you go on a busy day, as we seemed to.
The conclusion
Kelly Tarlton’s SEA LIFE Aquarium plays an amazing role in sealife conservation and education and they should be proud of what they do. It really is a gem and worth visiting again if you haven’t been recently.
(Tip – it’s *way* cheaper if you book online before you go…).
