Facilities
The aquarium's main features are the Antarctic Encounter and the Underwater World, but it also includes several other exhibits and several education rooms.
- Antarctic Ice Adventure and Scott Base (formerly Antarctic Encounter) - This exhibit was opened in 1994, and is the first exhibit encountered by visitors. Visitors can view the aquarium's penguins through glass in their temperature controlled habitat. Visitors then pass through a recreation of the hut used by Captain Robert Falcon Scott during his South Pole expedition in 1912. After this visitors take a ride on an Antarctic Snowcat, a type of vehicle, through the penguin enclosure. The aquarium has a colony of king penguins and gentoo penguins, the ride also has other features relating to Antarctica and its exploration.
- NIWA Southern Oceans Discovery (formerly NIWA Interactive Room) - This room is located adjacent to Stingray Bay and aims to educate children about the marine world and Antarctica while entertaining them.
- Stingray Bay - Is a 350,000-litre (92,000 USgal) open topped acrylic tank. This tank contains two species of stingray and other smaller fish species including; kingfish, blue mao mao and "Phoebe" a 250 kilogram short tailed stingray with a two metre wingspan. This area of the aquarium has a refreshment kiosk.
- Pacific Shark Zone and Shipwreck Explorer (formerly Underwater World) - The original part of the aquarium. This 110-metre (360 ft) acrylic tunnel takes visitors through two tanks which can hold up to 2000 animals. The first tank (or predator tank) is filled mainly with shark species, and holds about 1,000,000 US gallons (3,785,000 l), while the second tank has mainly schooling fish such as blue mao mao.
- Fish Gallery and Seahorse Kingdom (formerly Sea Creatures) - This area contains smaller aquariums usually filled with single species. Here you can find; two tropical marine tanks, red bellied piranha, an octopus, sea horses, moray eels, crayfish plus stonefish and pufferfish in the Poisonous and Venomous fish tank. Adjacent to this area is the gift shop which also contains the exit.
Read more about this topic: Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World
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