National Aquarium of New Zealand facts for kids
National Aquarium of New Zealand's logo
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Entrance to the aquarium
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| Date opened | 1976 |
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| Location | Napier, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 39°30′03″S 176°55′08″E / 39.5007°S 176.9189°E |
| No. of animals | 1500+ |
| No. of species | 50+ |
| Volume of largest tank | 1.5 million litres |
| Major exhibits | Oceanarium, fish, reptiles, kiwi, penguins |
The National Aquarium of New Zealand is a super cool place where you can explore the amazing underwater world! It's located right on Marine Parade in Napier, New Zealand. This aquarium started way back in 1957 and moved to its current spot in 1976. It's owned by the Napier City Council. You can see lots of different fish here, plus special animals like kiwi birds, tuataras (ancient reptiles!), turtles, cute little penguins, and other lizards.
Contents
A Look Back at the Aquarium's History
The idea for a public aquarium in Napier began in 1957. Members of the Napier Thirty Thousand Club and the Hawke's Bay Aquarium Society wanted to create a place for tropical fish. They also wanted to show off unusual local fish. The first aquarium was in the basement of the War Memorial Hall.
Moving to a New Home
The aquarium moved to its current location on Marine Parade in 1976. In its very first year, an amazing 230,000 people visited! This was a huge number, especially since Napier's population was only about 50,000 at the time. Over the first five years, more than 750,000 people came to see the aquarium.
Piranhas and Big Changes
In 1979, the aquarium got some piranhas from Cleveland, Ohio, in the U.S. They traded seahorses to get them! Many years later, in 2019, the remaining 21 elderly piranhas were humanely put to sleep. This happened because new government rules meant they could no longer be kept in the aquarium's tanks.
A big change happened in 2002. The aquarium got a huge upgrade that cost NZ$8 million. They added a massive 1.5 million litre oceanarium. This new area has a 50-meter long acrylic tunnel that you can walk through! All the old tanks were replaced with brand new ones. After this big renovation, the aquarium was renamed the National Aquarium of New Zealand.
Penguin Stars
Since 2017, the aquarium staff have a fun tradition. They vote for the "Penguin of the Month"! They choose one penguin for being the best behaved and another for being the naughtiest. This has become super popular on social media!
What You Can See and Do
The National Aquarium has lots of cool things to explore. There are two special halls for temporary exhibits. One is upstairs, and the other is near the oceanarium. You can also find a souvenir shop and a cafe there.
Amazing Exhibits to Explore
Here are some of the exciting exhibits you can discover:
- East Coast LAB (Life at the Boundary) – Learn about the Hikurangi plate boundary.
- African Cichlids – See colorful fish from Africa.
- Amazon Pacu – Discover large fish from the Amazon River.
- Asian Tropical – Explore a warm, humid environment.
- Asian Paddyfield – See animals from rice fields in Asia.
- Dinosaur fossils – Check out ancient dinosaur remains.
- Asian Water Garden – A beautiful garden with water features.
- Australian Out Back – Experience a bit of Australia's wild side.
- Australian Water Dragons – Meet these cool lizards.
- Waterfall – Enjoy the calming sound of falling water.
- Coral Reef – Dive into a vibrant underwater world.
- Tuatara – See New Zealand's unique ancient reptile.
- New Zealand Stream – Discover creatures from local streams.
- Kiwi Enclosure – Get a glimpse of New Zealand's national bird.
- New Zealand Fresh Water – Learn about freshwater animals.
- Little Penguins – Watch these adorable small penguins.
- Eels – See long, slithery eels.
- Hawksbill Sea Turtle – Admire these beautiful sea turtles.
- Rocky Shore – Explore animals that live on rocky coastlines.
- Seahorse – Find delicate seahorses.
- Oceanarium – Walk through the amazing tunnel with sharks and rays swimming all around you!
See also
In Spanish: Acuario nacional de Nueva Zelanda para niños
