Kelly Tarlton's SEA LIFE is Auckland's aquarium — built in 1985 by the late adventurer Kelly Tarlton inside disused underground sewage tanks on Tamaki Drive, becoming the world's first walk-through aquarium (using the then-new moving-walkway-through-acrylic-tunnel concept). Tarlton mortgaged his house to build it, opened it in April 1985, and died of a heart attack 6 weeks later at age 47.
The facility now has Antarctic-themed enclosures (including the country's only king and gentoo penguins), a stingray touch pool, and the Shark Tunnel where visitors pass through a 110-metre acrylic tunnel surrounded by sharks and large fish. The sub-Antarctic experience is particularly strong — a reconstructed vintage Snowcat vehicle from a 1986 Antarctic expedition forms the gateway, and the temperature inside the penguin enclosure is kept at -2°C. The aquarium suits children more than adults but the under-10 charm is real.
Verified Facts
Kelly Tarlton's opened in 1985 in disused sewage tanks
It was the world's first walk-through aquarium
Kelly Tarlton died 6 weeks after opening, age 47
The shark tunnel is 110 metres long
Get walking directions
23 Tamaki Drive, Orakei
