Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World

Get a rare, up-close look at Antarctic's native wildlife without enduring the rigors of their icy domain, and then enjoy a bird's-eye view of Auckland from its soaring Sky Tower.

Drive to Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium. Named for a well-known Kiwi diver and adventurer, this attraction replicates life in the Antarctic, both above and below the icy waters. A moving walkway will transport you through clear acrylic underwater tunnels, revealing all sorts of marine life. You may see sharks being hand-fed, massive short-tail stingrays and delicate seahorses among the various exhibits. There's also a colony of King and Gentoo penguins that may be frolicking in the water or playing in the snow. And be sure to see the replica of Captain Robert Scott's hut from his ill-fated 1911 polar exploration.

Your tour also takes you to Auckland's soaring 1,072-foot Sky Tower, the tallest manmade structure in New Zealand. Step inside one of the glass-fronted elevators and you'll be whisked to the top, where on a clear day you can see more than 50 miles in every direction. The Sky Tower is an engineering marvel built of high-strength, high-performance concrete and steel so strong it can withstand winds gusting up to 125 mph. To ensure that the tower remained perfectly straight during construction, seven global positioning satellites were used to confirm its exact position.