Kelly Tarltons Underwater World, Auckland

We walk through plastic tunnels in the aquarium on moving footpaths, my favourite part of this complex. I especially like the rays here.

Kelly Tarlton was a New Zealand diver who developed this area in 1985, in an old stormwater holding tank.

Also here, besides the Aquarium fish and sharks swimming all around you behind perspex as you admire them from the moving walkway, there are touch tanks in the foyer before you get to the souvenir shop with lobster and other sea creatures in, plus a kids marine room with a mini touch pool and other interesting things for them to do, and fish in small tanks to admire.
Before you enter the Snow Cat to see the penguins, you first pass through an exhibition which is a replica scale model of the Antarctic hut from the Shackleton expeditions, complete with furniture, piano, and cabin interior, and black and white photos on display which were taken on the original expedition. Plus, you can watch video and listen to audio about the expedition. Rather interesting.

The Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World is an amazing visitor experience, I had a great time there. There is an excellent underwater tunnel where it's almost like being in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by sharks, stingrays and other kinds of marine life. But what I liked most was the replica of Robert Scott's hut used in his South Pole expedition, it feels very authentic. And I also loved to see the penguins from the snowcat ride: they are such incredible creatures. When I was there, the King penguin colony had a chick who was already as large as the adults, but still had a baby's fluffy brown feathers. It was a very funny sight, like a penguin dressed in a costume.

See real live Penguins, explore the Antarctic landscape in a Snow Cat, take a journey on a moving walkway deep under the ocean, through Kelly Tarlton's unique 114 metre (373 feet) long see-through underwater tunnel.

This is a very nice aquarium with te usual sharks, stingrays and other native fish. Special about this one is the Antarctic encounter where a small vehicle take you past the penguin enclosure.

We amuse ourselves for a few minutes taking a photograph at the cardboard cut-out. It's touristy, but what the heck!

Round the corner on the "snowcat" and Disney-style seals are attacked by a whale.

Being a penguin fanatic, I am taken with the penguins in the place. At the ubiquitous gift shop at the end of the tour, I even buy two penguin ornaments!