The latest attraction at Auckland's largest Aquarium has sparked fresh calls for urgent conservation work in the super city's backyard.
Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium has lifted the curtain on its Hauraki Gulf-inspired Sea Cave Adventure, shining a light on Auckland's damaged marine ecosystem.
Beneath Auckland's Tāmaki Drive, it's crawling with creatures from Hauraki's past
"The Gulf is in trouble. There's been a lot of reporting for decades now about the state of the gulf and it's a fraction of what it once was," Revive Our Gulf programme director Katina Conomos said.
Kelly Tarlton's has just opened its $1.6 million SeaCave Adventure, a labour of love that's bringing the wonders of the Gulf to Tāmaki Makaurau.
"It's amazing to finally have it open. [It's] something we've been working on for nearly four years," Kelly Tarlton's general manager Daniel Henderson said.
"We've got crayfish, we've got eels, we've got hermit crabs, and they can come in and touch some of these creatures," Kelly Tarlton's displays manager Kim Evans said.
But behind the fun fishy facade is a very serious message.
"It's an important time to raise awareness for the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. It's under a lot of pressure at the moment, whether that be from overfishing, bottom trawling or pollution," Henderson said.
This exhibit is packing some serious star power. The packhorse lobsters on display get to 15 kilograms and they're now practically extinct in the Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park covers an area of more than 1.2 million hectares and campaigners said the fresh spotlight on the reserve couldn't have come at a better time.
They're warning the overfishing of big snapper and lobsters - like the ones on display - has created a biodiversity crisis.
"Those two creatures have been removed largely from the ecosystem of the Gulf. So we no longer have those large predators predating on the kina," Conomos said. "And with the increase in kina, the kina feed on kelp and the kelp is the nursery, if you like."
Conomos is calling for authorities to give the marine park a break to save species like these.
"You'll have heard many people calling for a ban to bottom trawling in the inner gulf, so that is certainly something that we need to continue to advocate for," Conomos said.
She's hoping the fresh surge in interest in the Gulf's underwater critters will make some waves towards change.
