Entrée générale au Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium

First time taking our 2 mokos. It was a ok experience, not really a wow factor considering the price. It was busy as one of our grandson had school the next day. Once we got through the Shark area our grandson wanted to go home to his Mama and Papa's house 😆 we stayed for just over an hour. Would we go again maybe, maybe not. Staff was only in the beginning for tickets and at the end for photos. No other interaction. Seating near the play area was OK, but the tables weren't many considering the amount of people there. I had to go elsewhere to feed my 1yr old grandson. The noise was overwhelming. Lastly if I had known beforehand that we would receive 10 free photos to download, I honestly wouldn't have paid for $25 single photo. I got ripped off!!!

Best place for kids to see sea life .

We planned this trip for weeks and were all very excited on the way to Auckland, driving 3 hours from Rotorua specifically to visit Sea Life. This long journey made the actual experience even more disappointing for our family of four (two adults, an 8-year old and a 2-year old). Unfortunately, we did not like the visit overall. Right from the start, the photos taken when entering the facility were very unsatisfying, as my head was half cut off in the final prints. The biggest disappointment for the kids was the Antarctic exhibition. Even though interesting for us adults, we failed to see the connection to Sea Life. Our 2-year old loved the penguins but we adults felt the enclosure way too small for that many penguins. The play area kept the children entertained for about 15 minutes before they lost interest. On a more positive note, the jellyfish aquariums were a major highlight for the children. They showed the jellyfish close up like you never usually see them. The fluorescent aquatic life was another hit among the kids. The aquarium in the rest and catering area also provided a good sight of the various fish species. However, we noticed issues with the main exhibits. The shallow underwater tunnel was crowded with fish, seemingly forcing them to be visible at all times, and worryingly, several fish showed serious bite marks. The catering was not convincing either. The coffee was served way too hot and tasted burned, while the muffins were extremely sweet. Given the high ticket prices and our extensive travel time, the experience severely lacked quality and value. We would not recommend it.

When we booked we were charged in US$ rather than NZ $ which cost us double the price - no idea why this happened. Kelly Tarltons advised this often happened but could do nothing about it. Very disappointing - out of picket c $40

A fantastic experience. The underwater tunnel is impressive, the penguins are adorable, and the exhibits are well‑curated. Everything is clean, well‑organised, and easy to navigate. Staff are welcoming and happy to answer questions. Great for families and visitors who want a relaxing, educational outing.

It was really good, make sure to stand for a minute on the snow bridge at the beginning of the tour as it will start to spin and move, lots of fun. Go in every corner to not miss anything. There were no Turtles but it had heaps of Penguins which was cool. Admission fee is quicker to book online, and staff were fast at the counter. We were there about a 1.5 hours and didn't stop for food, you could spend less or more time. It was a public holiday and wasn't to busy as most people were eating lunch at the Cafe inside which made 1pm a great time to go to get good pictures and not feel hurried with sea life. Go early as parking can take some time and you can be earlier for admission than your booking time. Really enjoyed the penguins.

Great place to go a must see in Auckland

Really good experience , good price and easy access

This places definitely needs a face lift but it was fine for a morning out.

Great experience for the family