Review: Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, Auckland
Around the top of the list for any traveller to Auckland should be Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World. Hidden away along Quay St, you’d never think such a massive aquarium was hiding under Auckland’s stunning coastline! But the shark-infested tanks are there, along with the myriad of other brightly-coloured sea creatures, and is most definitely worth the rather exorbitant entry fee.
I spotted one mobility parking spot, and the rest of the parking spaces were all full, so it might even be worth considering taking a taxi. Once inside, it’s a long, windy ramp to the ticketing booth, and we spent ~45 minutes in the queue – note to self: don’t go on a rainy school holiday!
Once inside, the whole place is pleasantly accessible. The narrow conveyor belt you stand on to view the main tank (read: sharks!) can be a bit tricky if your chair is on the wide side, but I managed okay. There’s an odd lift to get up to level two of the aquarium, one of those carpeted hoist-like things. Again, no major dramas though. I loved level two, so many brightly-coloured fish to stick your camera lens into! Check out the picture on the right, a personal favourite of mine that day 
The bathroom was perfectly accessible and ocean themed! Bonus. Only niggle I have is that it also doubled as a baby changing room so while I was inside, I could hear a mother struggling with two crying infants outside the door, and I felt so bad! Other than that I was very impressed. There’s this little ‘Sno-Cat’ ride you can go on, in which you get a great view of their penguin enclosure – very cool! They offered to take one of the seats out of the ‘Sno-Cat’ carriage so I could get my chair on, but I was happy to transfer. They made the whole process very stress-free though, muchly impressed with their attitude.
All in all, a really worthwhile trip, so many amazing sea-things to see! And at the end of the day, it was made even more enjoyable because accessibility was a complete non-issue.
Have you been to Kelly Tarlton’s? How did you find it? Leave a comment below!
Dave and I have been to Kelly Tarltons and like you enjoyed every minute. Dave and wheelchair seem to get around no trouble and made it an enjoyable experience. As you say; a bit pricey; but we felt well worth it.