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National Aquarium of New Zealand: Ocean Wonders
3.9
27 Ratings
Napier
Explore New Zealand’s aquatic wonders at the National Aquarium in Napier. Discover native species, witness stingray feedings, and immerse yourself in ocean beauty.
Explore New Zealand’s aquatic wonders at the National Aquarium in Napier. Discover native species, witness stingray feedings, and immerse yourself in ocean beauty.
Duration:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- National Aquarium of New Zealand - Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, explore a variety of exhibits from mountains to the sea at your own pace. Encounter introduced species, native eels (tuna), the brown kiwi, and the tuatara of Aotearoa, culminating in our largest exhibit under the sea. Marvel at the ocean’s wonders as stingrays glide by and sea life displays its grace and beauty. Feeding times are at 10 am and 2 pm every day.
- National Aquarium of New Zealand - Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, explore a variety of exhibits from mountains to the sea at your own pace. Encounter introduced species, native eels (tuna), the brown kiwi, and the tuatara of Aotearoa, culminating in our largest exhibit under the sea. Marvel at the ocean’s wonders as stingrays glide by and sea life displays its grace and beauty. Feeding times are at 10 am and 2 pm every day.
What's Included
- National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier - General Admission
- National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier - General Admission
Additional Information
Open 7 days a week from 9am - 5pm, self guide your way through a range of exhibits from Mountains to sea. You will see introduced species, native tuna (eels), our brown kiwi and tuatara of Aotearoa before finishing under the sea, our largest exhibit. Experience the wonders of the ocean as you witness the stingrays gliding through the water and the grace and beauty of the sea life. Feeding times 10am and 2pm daily.
Open 7 days a week from 9am - 5pm, self guide your way through a range of exhibits from Mountains to sea. You will see introduced species, native tuna (eels), our brown kiwi and tuatara of Aotearoa before finishing under the sea, our largest exhibit. Experience the wonders of the ocean as you witness the stingrays gliding through the water and the grace and beauty of the sea life. Feeding times 10am and 2pm daily.
Location
National Aquarium of New Zealand
Marine Parade,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.9
(27 Ratings)
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Kpm2702
Mar 8, 2025
Beneath the surface - Fantastic family friendly and informative experience. Watching the little blue penguins at feeding time and hearing all about them was a joy
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susannalnz
Feb 27, 2025
Enjoyable visit - We enjoyed the aquarium. Good for kids. Lots of information about the animals. We could see penguin feeding. It was lovely. I think it was the must-do attraction in Hawkes Bay.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Davep0000
Feb 21, 2025
Do the penguin encounter! - It's a very nice small aquarium. All the exhibits are top quality and the signage is quite informative. The highlight, and thing you must do, is the penguin encounter. After a brief information session, you get to sit down and feed the little blue penguins. It is really a hoot! The half-hour we spent feeding them was gone in a blink of an eye. If we come back to Napier, we are doing it again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sampaul21
Jan 17, 2025
Great place - We had a really interesting time with the family. This place is perfect for someone with young family. The coffee is also good. Besides the beautiful beach, the aquarium was our highlight. Make sure you time your visit so you don’t miss the penguin feeding and big aquarium feeding. We did the 9.30 penguin and 10am aquarium which was entertaining
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lynnlw9197cd
Jan 8, 2025
Encounter - Penguin encounter is worth the extra - enjoy
A lot of information is extended. More time spent feeding the penguins than I have seen in other tours
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alissa
Jan 27, 2025
Great aquarium for a good price - Really enjoyed the aquarium. Cool to see kiwi birds and the penguins were adorable. The tunnel was neat also.
My only issue is the hawksbill turtle enclosure is way too small for that poor animal. Broke my heart.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richardsf8673sm
Feb 22, 2025
Enoy the outside views - Small, basic aquarium. Not very interesting, except for pengiums.
Free shuttles to boat. Pretty marine park along thr way
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passport62689101245
Jan 5, 2025
Not quite what I expected - It's a nice little aquarium, quite a bit to see. The penguin exhibit was very nice. However, I had expected something quite different regarding the experience.
I anticipated the National Aquarium of New Zealand to focus on ecosystems and species from..........New Zealand. Instead, the vast majority of the aquarium focused on animals from other parts of the world, especially South America, which is why I suppose half the displays were also in Spanish....?
I was wanting to learn more about NZs marine life after having been here, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Its a nice place to see marine life, but not necessarily New Zealand marine life.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mr_speculator
Mar 29, 2025
Very depressing. - The aquarium is very small which is ok.
I just felt sorry for the animals as some tanks are very small. For many it must be a sad and lonely existence. I found it very depressing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ojw89
Jan 14, 2025
Very poor - I was surprised of the state of this place. A lot of enclosures are just plastic imitation boulders and/or plastic plants. There is zero to none natural behaviour cause it's simply not possible in the tanks. Some of the tanks are overstocked and some are way too small. The pacu's are in a tiny tank and the worst thing is Terry the Turtle of which you can find tons of messages and news articles online. In stead of having him in one of the big tanks he's in a tank where he can barely move. When I was there he had some red on his nose (maybe an injury).
The stingrays going over your head are amazing but all and all this aquarium left a sour taste in our mouths and isn't worth the money. Enclosures and/or inhabitants need a big update or this place shouldn't exist and is, the way it is right now, definitely not worth the title of national aquarium.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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