National Aquarium of New Zeland

Introduction

The National Aquarium of New Zealand is in a new stingray-shaped building on the waterfront in Napier. The self-guided tour starts in a dinosaur discovery area,which shows the history of these creatures in New Zealand. It was only in 1979 that the first dinosaur bones were discovered in the country. Live displays include crocodiles, piranhas, tropical fish and, curiously, a kiwi.

The Oceanarium is the pride of the Aquarium and is viewed from an underwater walkthrough tunnel. Home to sharks, stingrays and hundreds of fish, the visitor can almost touch them as they swim overhead. Divers hand-feed the fish twice a day at 10:00am and 2:00pm.

Behind the scenes tours are available and should be booked in advance due to their popularity. Diving in the Oceanarium can be arranged by appointmemt.

Opening Hours

Daily: 09:00am to 5:30pm
Closed on Christmas Day (25 December)

Cost

General Admission

• Adult $15.50
• Child (from 4 to 14 years) $8.00
• Child (under 4) Free
• Seniors $13.50
• Student $13.50
• Family (2 adults & up to 3 children) $44.00
• Extra child $8.00

Behind the Scenes Tour

• Adult $30.00
• Child $15.00

Diving in the Oceanarium

• Adult $65.00
• Child (with instructor) $35.00
• Gear $30.00
• Tank $7.00

There are discounted prices for school parties and groups of ten or more people.

Getting There

National Aquarium of New Zealand, Marine Parade, Napier, New Zealand.

By Train

There are no train services in Napier.

By Car

There is free parking outside the Aquarium, restricted to two hours.

By Bus

By Boat

There is no access by boat to the Aquarium.

Eat

The National Aquarium of New Zealand has a small cafe, which is inside the attraction and not accessible without an admission ticket. It has a well stocked gift shop at the exit.