Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium facts for kids
Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium logo
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Entrance to Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium on Tamaki Drive
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| Date opened | 1985; 40 years ago |
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| Location | 23 Tamaki Drive, Ōrākei, Auckland 1071, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 36°50′45″S 174°49′2″E / 36.84583°S 174.81722°E |
| No. of animals | 1500+ |
| No. of species | 50+ |
| Major exhibits | 8 |
Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium (once called Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World) is a public aquarium. It opened in 1985 in Auckland, New Zealand. The aquarium is located at 23 Tamaki Drive. It was the amazing idea of a New Zealand diver and marine expert named Kelly Tarlton (1937–1985).
The aquarium was built inside old, unused sewage storage tanks. It used a new way of shaping clear plastic. This allowed for cool curved tunnels instead of just flat viewing windows. It was also one of the first places to use moving walkways. These walkways help people travel slowly through the viewing areas.
Discovering Kelly Tarlton's History
How the Aquarium Began
In 1983, Kelly Tarlton suggested building an aquarium. He wanted to use the old sewage tanks under the Auckland waterfront. His idea was to let people see fish through a long, clear tunnel.
The aquarium opened in 1985. It took only 10 months to build. Kelly Tarlton created a new way to make the plastic tunnels. He took large sheets of clear plastic and heated them. They then took the shape of a mold. Some of these sheets weighed over one tonne!
Seeing Fish Up Close
When you look through the water and the plastic, fish can look smaller. This is because of something called refraction. Refraction happens when light bends as it passes through different materials. In this case, it's light going through water and the plastic sheets.
A long tunnel, about 110 meters (360 feet) long, was built. It was placed in sewage tanks that had not been used since the 1960s. These tanks are under the Ōrākei area. They are on Tamaki Drive and look out over the Waitematā Harbour.
Filling the Tanks with Life
After the tunnels were ready, the tanks were filled with water. This was to check for any leaks, and luckily, none were found! Then, a beautiful underwater world was made. It had caves and reefs built from concrete.
Finally, the basins were filled with water and animals. One section got over 1,800 different sea creatures. Another section was filled with sharks and stingrays. The sharks included bronze whalers, sevengill sharks, wobbegongs, and school sharks.
New Exhibits and Ownership Changes
In 1994, the aquarium added a new area. It included a copy of the hut used by Captain Robert Falcon Scott. He used it on his trip to Antarctica. This new area also became home to a group of Antarctic penguins. They live in a special cold exhibit.
In December 2004, the aquarium opened Stingray Bay. This area has a huge open-topped tank. It holds 350,000 liters (92,000 US gallons) of water. It is 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) deep. The tank is made of very clear plastic for great viewing.
In 2008, a company called Village Roadshow Theme Parks bought the aquarium. They paid NZD $13 million. This company also owns other aquariums like Sydney Aquarium.
In December 2010, Kelly Tarlton's received five new sand tiger sharks from the United States. In 2011, Village Roadshow sold Kelly Tarlton's to the Merlin Entertainments group.
In March 2012, Merlin Entertainments announced a big upgrade. They spent $5.5 million to add new exhibits and a new layout. The aquarium also became more interactive. It reopened in September 2012. As part of this change, it was renamed Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium. This made it part of Merlin Entertainments' worldwide Sea Life Centres brand.
Exploring the Aquarium's Facilities
Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium has many cool features. The main ones are the Antarctic Encounter and the Underwater World. It also has other exhibits and rooms for learning.
Antarctic Ice Adventure and Scott Base
This exhibit opened in 1994. It is the first area visitors see. You can watch the aquarium's penguins through glass. They live in a special habitat that keeps them cold. After seeing the penguins, you walk through a copy of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's hut. He used this hut during his trip to the South Pole in 1912. The aquarium has a group of king penguins and gentoo penguins.
NIWA Southern Oceans Discovery
This room is next to Turtle Bay. It helps teach kids about the ocean and Antarctica. It aims to be fun and educational at the same time.
Turtle Bay
This area has a large open-topped plastic tank. It holds 350,000 liters (92,000 US gallons) of water. This tank is home to rescue turtles. Kelly Tarlton's helps these turtles get better. This area used to have stingrays. There is also a snack bar here.
Pacific Shark Zone and Shipwreck Explorer
This is the original part of the aquarium. It has a 110-meter (360-foot) long plastic tunnel. This tunnel takes visitors through two huge tanks. These tanks can hold up to 2,000 animals. The first tank is called the predator tank. It holds about 3,800,000 liters (1,000,000 US gallons) of water. It is mostly filled with different kinds of sharks. The second tank has many schooling fish, like blue mao mao.
Fish Gallery and Seahorse Kingdom
This area has smaller aquariums. Each one usually holds a single type of animal. Here you can see two tropical marine tanks. You might also find red bellied piranhas, an octopus, sea horses, moray eels, and crayfish. There is also a tank with stonefish and pufferfish. These are in the Poisonous and Venomous fish tank. The gift shop and exit are next to this area.
See also
In Spanish: Acuario de vida marina de Kelly Tarlton para niños
