SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium
SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium
SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium
4
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium is New Zealand’s most famous aquarium! It is home to New Zealand's only sub-Antarctic penguins and offers a myriad of opportunities to get up close and personal with incredible marine life from the Pacific and Southern oceans. For a truly incredible experience, take the plunge on an Animal Adventure jump into the shark Cage and go snorkeling with massive sharks or jump on the ice and get up close and personal with the King and Gentoo penguins!
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
862 within 5 kms
Attractions
225 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- slusignanMontreal, Canada107 contributionsWonderful; great displays; love the penguins.This is a great place to see live penguins and the walk-through aquarium is wonderful; full of large fish, stingrays, sharks. It was not crowded when we went so we could appreciate it better. We found it a bit pricey as it's not a very large Aquarium and would only take you less than an hour to tour.Kia ora. Thank you for leaving us a review about your visit with us. We are sorry to hear that you found us too expensive. As we are home to thousands of animals, our running costs are very high and we try our best to limit how much of this is passed onto our guests. Unlike other Auckland attractions, we do not receive any Government funding and so we rely on the proceeds from our ticket sales to cover the running costs. Due to the entire attraction being underground, we do not have the space to expand our aquarium much more. I hope you were able to enjoy all of the different zones we have inside the attraction, including the largest colony of sub-Antarctica penguins as well as New Zealand’s one and only Turtle Hospital! A great way to add time and value to your visit is to listen to one of our education talks that we do almost hourly throughout the day. We hope to SEA you again soon! Ngā mihi SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's :)Written 9 April 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited March 2023Written 25 March 2023
- SachdevSnackerWellington, New Zealand13 contributionsGreat ExperienceGreat fun had at Kelly Tarltons on out visit up to Auckland. Kids especially loved the penguins and checking out the sharks. Best aquarium experience we have had. Very busy during the school holidays so best to book tickets online to skip the queue. Trip through the aquarium takes 2 - 3 hours depending how much you want to interact at each attraction. Quite pricey but worth it for the experience. Was definitely one of the favourite things we did while on our Auckland holiday.Visited July 2023Travelled with familyWritten 10 July 2023
- tekohiwiWhitianga, New Zealand505 contributionsA must doNeither of us had been for over 10 years so we saw quite a few changes but all were great. It’s an awesome attraction for young and old and so well done. Plenty to see and the cafe was well stocked and well priced. Definitely needs to be on your list when visiting Auckland.Visited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 2 November 2023
- Relax597254922 contributionsA little expensiveVisited on a weekday, no queue. The entrance is small but they made an effort to put conspicuous signages. Find it a little expensive at NZD45. Saw a good mix of animals from penguins, stingray, jellyfish.Visited November 2023Travelled soloWritten 10 November 2023
- Traci NAdelaide, Australia2 contributionsMum & adult daughter breakVisiting from Australia which coincided with the massive Auckland flood in January 23. . Had a cruise cancelled so we decided to pop in to aquarium. Loved it. It was quite spectacular to see the high water levels against the glass, then watch it disappear. Beautiful experience for my marine bio student daughter seeing the rays and turtles & sharks. A great experience, and LOVE the moving ice tunnel!!Visited January 2023Travelled with familyWritten 7 December 2023
- BrittanySevierville, Tennessee168 contributionsGreat for kids!My son had a blast from the moment we walked in! Compared to the aquarium near us in the U.S., this one was quite a bit smaller but still a lot to see and learn! There was plenty to keep my son interested, as well as a playground near the end. We weren't planning on visiting the aquarium but there was so much rainfall, we needed an indoor activity and I'm very glad we chose to go! We picked up a stuffed animal penguin "Pang" that my son still plays with to this day.Visited February 2023Travelled with familyWritten 29 December 2023
- jojoNavi Mumbai, India1,767 contributionsAmazing underwater tunnelTruely amazing underwater views tunnel from Entry to Exit showing about 30 live awesome animal exhibits and wondrful habitants display. It was wonderful experiennce enjoyed penguins, fish,cafe, views, kids games, shops etc.A Day with the Life of Penguin Keeper was most liked. It was properly maintained and especially kids enjoyed most.Visited January 2024Travelled with familyWritten 7 February 2024
- Tour415871199052 contributionsExcellent experience.The first clue that this aquarium was quite compelling was the fact that on a Tuesday midday, most of the patrons were adults without children. The penguin exhibit was very good, with its giant antarctic penguins waddling around. The turtle tank where they rehabilitate injured giant turtles was a bit vacant as only one turtle missing a flipper was residing. The shark tank with its moving sidewalk inside a tunnel was quite good. Many other colorful fish and attractions complete your day. We accessed the aquarium on the TMK bus from Britomart (about 15 minutes). Be aware they are cashless, so bring your credit card!Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 12 February 2024
- tekohiwiWhitianga, New Zealand505 contributionsGreat attractionHadn’t been here for over 8 years so it had changed of course but thoroughly enjoyed it. Had lunch at the cafe watching the tide lap against the window. Great displays and highly recommend it. We even saw baby Penguins.Visited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 5 March 2024
- Stacey S2 contributionsFantastic experience!!This was only the second time I've been here, the first was when it hadn't been open long and I was very young with my parents, (I'm now 48!!) Absolutely amazing! Awesome that we can see and learn about certain sea life that we wouldn't otherwise get to see. Great educational place regarding Scott's Hut etc. Really impressed!Visited February 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 10 March 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
3,073 reviews
Excellent
1,244
Very good
1,054
Average
547
Poor
153
Terrible
75
Stacey S
2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
This was only the second time I've been here, the first was when it hadn't been open long and I was very young with my parents, (I'm now 48!!) Absolutely amazing! Awesome that we can see and learn about certain sea life that we wouldn't otherwise get to see. Great educational place regarding Scott's Hut etc. Really impressed!
Written 10 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tekohiwi
Whitianga, New Zealand505 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Hadn’t been here for over 8 years so it had changed of course but thoroughly enjoyed it. Had lunch at the cafe watching the tide lap against the window. Great displays and highly recommend it. We even saw baby Penguins.
Written 5 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tour41587119905
2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
The first clue that this aquarium was quite compelling was the fact that on a Tuesday midday, most of the patrons were adults without children. The penguin exhibit was very good, with its giant antarctic penguins waddling around. The turtle tank where they rehabilitate injured giant turtles was a bit vacant as only one turtle missing a flipper was residing. The shark tank with its moving sidewalk inside a tunnel was quite good. Many other colorful fish and attractions complete your day. We accessed the aquarium on the TMK bus from Britomart (about 15 minutes). Be aware they are cashless, so bring your credit card!
Written 13 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jojo
Navi Mumbai, India1,767 contributions
Jan 2024 • Family
Truely amazing underwater views tunnel from Entry to Exit showing about 30 live awesome animal exhibits and wondrful habitants display. It was wonderful experiennce enjoyed penguins, fish,cafe, views, kids games, shops etc.A Day with the Life of Penguin Keeper was most liked. It was properly maintained and especially kids enjoyed most.
Written 8 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue H
2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
The experience was wonderful and well worth the cost of admission. Regardless of your age you will really enjoy this experience.
Written 5 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul R
8 contributions
Jan 2024 • Family
Participated in the Shark Dive highly reccomend it to anyone you do not need any experience and the level of instruction and knowledge from Sophie the Instructor was supern
Written 16 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul R
5 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
Participated in the Shark Dive had Sophie as our instructor really enjoyed getting up close to the sharks totally safe and easy to participate with no experience of any kind needed
Written 15 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Prospark
3 contributions
Jan 2024 • Family
The whole experience wasn’t too bad. We were expecting a lot more.
The cafeteria didn’t have much to offer and what it did have, wasn’t fresh. The pies were hard and the croissants couldn’t be toasted because they didn’t have one. For NZ the good old fish and chips is a definite must. But not here.
No divers in the aquarium interacting with the sea life.
A mermaid for the kids would of been delightful for the kids.
The cafeteria didn’t have much to offer and what it did have, wasn’t fresh. The pies were hard and the croissants couldn’t be toasted because they didn’t have one. For NZ the good old fish and chips is a definite must. But not here.
No divers in the aquarium interacting with the sea life.
A mermaid for the kids would of been delightful for the kids.
Written 6 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brittany
Sevierville, TN168 contributions
Feb 2023 • Family
My son had a blast from the moment we walked in! Compared to the aquarium near us in the U.S., this one was quite a bit smaller but still a lot to see and learn! There was plenty to keep my son interested, as well as a playground near the end. We weren't planning on visiting the aquarium but there was so much rainfall, we needed an indoor activity and I'm very glad we chose to go! We picked up a stuffed animal penguin "Pang" that my son still plays with to this day.
Written 29 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yachty1965
Whangarei, New Zealand14 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
The kids had a great time and enjoyed all the things on show
They couldn’t stop talking about it all the way home to Whangarei
They couldn’t stop talking about it all the way home to Whangarei
Written 27 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki P
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand5 contributions
Hi we are staying in Hobson street where do we get the free shuttle from Cheers
LoneTraveller61
Auckland Central, New Zealand75 contributions
152 Quay Street (bottom of Queen Street)
Athikumanan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia19 contributions
Do we need to walk alot from the hop on bus station?
Bianca H
Auckland Central, New Zealand40 contributions
No, the bus stop is very close to the aquarium entrance.
sparrow8885
Te Puke, New Zealand
At what time do they feed the penguins and fish?
Nicola B
Ascot, UK70 contributions
The sign in the aquarium today said 14:00 tues & thurs for fish feeding.
Is there a family pass available??
I have 2 adults 4 children aged 11(triplets) and 7 yr old plus a 2 year old.
We would love to come through today before we leave town as we came here for our Christmas present to our kids.
Junamobley
Palmerston North, New Zealand9 contributions
Yes family pass available
Glen Y
Adelaide, Australia55 contributions
Whats the chances of getting a park at the Aquarium car park ,mid January, if you arrive early, say 9:30 in the morning.
VikramWKarve
Pune, India272 contributions
If you arrive early on a weekday you may get parking space right opposite the Aquarium. On Weekends - you may have to park some distance away in case there is a rush.
How do i veiw vistor pictures
Magellanic47
Bangkok, Thailand1,049 contributions
Hello Kharissa,
if you are thinking about the pictures that were taken before crossing the ice tunnel.. (and where you faking a shark attack)
These pictures were for sale at the exit of the Aquarium - in the general toy / souvenir section - they are not posted online.
Andrew Y
Charleston, SC6 contributions
With penguin experience, how close to the Penguins do you actually get?
Dawn4910
Marton, New Zealand37 contributions
Yes the penguins are behind glass for regular paying visitors, however when we went there was a small group within the penguin enclosure getting VERY close. I can only assume they were on the penguin experience as they were being spoken to by one of the keepers. Hope this helps
birdling
Sydney204 contributions
Hi, what is the best way to get to Kelly Tarltons from the cruise ship terminal, and how long would it take? We aren't taking the ship tours as they go other places too and we are meeting friends for lunch after. Thanks! It is 2 adults and a 3-year-old.
Cindy W
Auckland Central, New Zealand283 contributions
If you cant catch the Kelly Tarlton Shark Shuttle Bus the ordinary bus will drop you off outside. Here are the Shuttle details
Free Shuttle Service
The regular Shuttle Service is as follows...
7 days a week Kelly Tarlton's operates a FREE shuttle service from downtown Auckland!
Shuttle departs from 172 Quay Street (opposite the downtown ferry terminal).
The shuttle runs hourly on the HALF hour from 9:30am until 3:30pm, with the final pick up from downtown being at 3:30pm.
Alfred R
Jamesburg, NJ2 contributions
Does anyone know the average time it takes to see the aquarium?
Was trying to plan a day between the Aquarium and Waiheke Island. Is it too much to fit this into one day.
I plan to visit Jan-Feb of this year.
VikramWKarve
Pune, India272 contributions
It takes around 3 hours to see the Aquarium.
For Waiheke Island - you need an entire day.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingSEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Frequently Asked Questions about SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium
- Hotels near SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium:
- (0.80 km) Nautical Nook Bed and Breakfast
- (4.04 km) Braemar On Parliament Street
- (4.32 km) The Hotel Britomart
- (4.68 km) M Social Auckland
- (6.29 km) Eden Villa Bed & Breakfast
- Restaurants near SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium:
- (3.44 km) Gerome Restaurant
- (3.47 km) Everest Dine
- (4.74 km) The Grove
- (4.64 km) Culprit.
- (3.49 km) Oh Calcutta
- Attractions near SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium:
- (0.41 km) Tamaki Drive
- (0.64 km) MJ Savage Memorial Park
- (0.57 km) Bastion Point
- (0.51 km) Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Park
- (1.18 km) Mission Bay Beach