Spring Break: Auckland Zoo and SEA LIFE Kelly Tarltonʻs Aquarium

The zoo ended up being way bigger than I expected, and there was honestly so much to see. There were heaps of different birds, which were cool, but the main attraction was seeing a kiwi, which felt pretty special. Then you’ve got all the usual big zoo animals as well, separated by habitat on different walking paths, such as the South East Asia Jungle Track, the Africa Safari Track, and Te Wao Nui (Aotearoa New Zealand). Probably the most interesting part was their animal hospital area, similar to the Wellington Zoo, you could actually see into different operating rooms and behind-the-scenes spaces, which made it feel way more real and gave you a different perspective on how much care goes into everything.

After spending a long day at the zoo, the aquarium the next day felt a bit smaller than we expected, but it was still really cool. It’s more compact, but you still get to see it all from penguins, turtles, and jellyfish to sharks and lots of other marine life. Walking through the tunnels with everything swimming around you was still such a cool experience and definitely worth it.

Overall, it ended up being a super easy, laid-back few days, but still really fun. It was nice not having to rush around and take things as they came, especially in between some of the busier days of the trip.