New sea cave adventure zone to open at Kelly Talton's

Opening in time for the summer school holidays, Sea Cave Adventure will be a world-class interactive experience that aims to educate guests and inspire them to fall in love with the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park and its inhabitants.

SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s $1.4 million upgrade tells the story of the Hauraki Gulf, which was established on 27 February 2000 to help stem ecological decline by protecting the Gulf’s natural and historic features. The aquarium’s new zone is supported by the Department of Conservation and will be a portal for guests to discover the Gulf’s marine life, the threats to its future and how they can help protect it.

Sea Cave Adventure will take guests on a journey of exploration of native marine species and their environments. The adventure will unfold as guests move through four themed chambers where they’ll encounter native octopus, eel, starfish, crayfish and crab species. In addition to incredible sea creatures, the new zone will include hands-on interactions through a reinvigorated rockpool experience along with educational video and audio content, and digital displays.

“Our aim is to advocate for the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park by creating an engaging and educational experience full of hidden discoveries, unexpected surprises and digital interactives. We want to encourage our visitors to explore this amazing resource and protect it for future generations,” said Dan Henderson, General Manager of SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s.

“Sea Cave Adventure is our first major upgrade since we launched our Turtle Rescue zone in 2017 and we are excited to unveil it in December after some COVID-related delays,” continued Dan.
The Sea Cave Adventure zone will help the SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s continue the legacy of its founder, globally-renowned adventurer Kelly Tarlton, whose passion for the underwater world inspired him to create the world’s first ocean tunnel to share the wonders of the ocean and its inhabitants from a whole new perspective.

Visitors to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s can also see magnificent sand tiger sharks, rescued sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation, New Zealand’s only colony of Sub-Antarctic penguins, hundreds of different fish species, and many more marine creatures on their journey through the aquarium.

SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s is open Thursday – Monday during the school term and seven days a week during the school holidays. All visitors must pre-book their tickets online in advance. Visit www.visitsealife.com/auckland for tickets, opening hours and further information.