Aquarium vs Marineland? » Marineland of New Zealand, Napier

Aquarium vs Marineland?
19-07-2008

Can someone from NZ please explain to me the difference between the Napier Marineland and the National Aquarium in Napier ?

19-07-2008

well I haven't been to either personally yet, but the National Aquarium (or colloquially, "the Napier Aquarium") and the Napier Marineland are quite separate facilities, run by different organisations, although they are situated quite near to one another. The Aquarium is an actual public aquarium with fish and reptiles in tanks inside a building, while the Marineland is an outdoor pool facility nowdays used primarily as a rescue centre for injured sealife (birds and mammals) but which in its heyday was a proper marineland with performing dolphins, seals etc. Their respective websites are
New Zealand National Aquarium - Napier Hawkes Bay
Marineland of New Zealand, Napier

20-07-2008

I think the thing that confused me was when I was trying to find them both on Google maps ... the Marineland was fairly easy to identify because of the pools, but the maps I had for the Aquarium showed that it was very close to that same spot. I was beginning to worry that they were actually the same place and just had two different websites for some strange reason.

Thanks for the update!

20-07-2008

Is the Marineland still keeping sea leopards ? I think,they keep from time to time rescued animals and put them back to the ocaen after a few months.

In the 69ty or 70ty years they made a show with trainend sea leoprads, do anybody has more information about that and the sea leopards at marineland ? And is Taronga Zoo still keeping sea leopards ?

20-07-2008

Marineland of New Zealand, Napier - History
this link has a list of the leopard seals the Marineland has had. They do not have any now. I have seen a photo of a leopard seal leaping to take a fish from a trainer at the Napier Marineland, and it was VERY impressive given the seal's enormous length!

20-07-2008

I've uploaded photos of both institutions in the gallery...

20-07-2008

Chlidonias,

thanks for the link, but I know this side. From there I have the information with the trained sea leopards.

location of the NZ Aquiriam
24-07-2008

It is on the Marine Parade , about a kilometre South of Marineland .
If you have Google Maps its opposite Goat Lane .
Hope this helps .

24-07-2008

Is it the big white building on the water side of the road, kind of triangular at one end and round at the other ?

25-07-2008

Yeah the round part is the original aquarium and the triangle part is the 2002 extension...

25-07-2008

Great, thanks!

I've updated the map: National Aquarium of New Zealand » ZooBeat Maps