DOWN
UNDER, DOWN UNDER:
Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World
by
Bruce Burnett
It
was at once a scuba diver's dream and nightmare. The shark was a mere
two meters (six feet) away. Over my head the evil looking barb on a
long-tailed stingray flicked menacingly. I reached for the button to
inflate my buoyancy compensator and grabbed ... my pen!
Such is the realism of Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in Auckland,
New Zealand.
Kelly Tarlton created his underwater world in Auckland's disused stormwater
holding tanks and sadly lived only seven weeks after his dream opened
in January 1985. As the world's largest fish aquarium viewed from the
world's longest underwater acrylic tunnels it is now Auckland's premier
tourist attraction.
Before touring the aquarium it is advisable to watch the 12-minute audio-visual
show in the theater. Here you will learn about Kelly Tarlton's shipwreck
explorations and how he and a team of volunteers went about building
Underwater World.
A moving walkway will then transport you through a 111-meter (365 feet)
clear acrylic tunnel. You will be surrounded by over 1500 fish of 40
different species and more than 50 sharks and stingrays. The refractive
index of the acrylic and water makes the fish appear approximately 30%
smaller than they really are. Nearly four million liters of water are
circulated every two hours with 10% fresh seawater being added each
day.
Auckland, with a population of 1.3 million people, is home to one third
of New Zealanders. It is the country's industrial and commercial center
and the entry point for most overseas visitors.
One other attraction not to miss while in Auckland is Heritage Park,
a 12-hectare (30 acres) theme park that is a microcosm of Kiwi culture.
Divided into three "worlds:" Natureworld, Agriworld and Cultureworld,
each theme is dramatized with a variety of displays.
Heritage Park is about a 15-minute drive from downtown Auckland.
DOWN
UNDER, DOWN UNDER:
Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World
was
first published in The Vancouver Sun
