Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World facts for kids

Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World is an aquarium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is all underground and within the walls of Auckland City's sewage holding tanks, unused since 1961. It opened on January 25 1985.

Kelly Tarlton, an avid diver, treasure hunter and undersea explorer, was responsible for the Underwater World concept and construction.

Construction took 10 months and cost $3 million. Kelly Tarlton died suddenly of a heart attack on March 17, 1985, seven weeks after the Underwater World opened.

Large sharks, stingrays and 1500 fish of forty different species may be viewed through a 114 metre-long underwater plexiglass tunnel in a figure-of-eight shape. The plexiglass is 7 centimetres thick.