Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium

Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium is an underground public aquarium in Auckland built inside former sewage storage tanks along the shore of Orakei Bay. The curved acrylic tunnels run through several connected tanks, allowing visitors to walk beneath swimming rays and sharks.

Diver and treasure hunter Kelly Tarlton designed the facility in the early 1980s, using disused tanks from the 1960s that once held sewage. It opened in 1985 with one of the world's first curved acrylic viewing tunnels for visitors.

The Scott Base exhibit inside shows a replica hut with gear that Antarctic explorers once used, creating a contrast between human history and the living penguin colony nearby. Visitors pass through a simulated snowstorm before watching the birds through thick glass walls.

The site sits along the Tamaki Drive coastal road, roughly 7 kilometers east of central Auckland, with parking available on site. Most visitors plan around two hours to complete the full loop through the tunnels and exhibits.

The facility sits entirely underground, so daylight never reaches the tanks and the lighting mimics the natural rhythm of the animals. The penguin colony lives in a climate-controlled room cooled to around minus 5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).

Location: Auckland Region

Inception: 1985

Founders: Kelvin Ewart Tarlton

Official opening: 1985

Address: 23 Tamaki Drive, Ōrākei, Auckland 1071, New Zealand

Website: https://visitsealife.com/auckland

GPS coordinates: -36.84583,174.81722

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:30