Discover Marine and Wildlife Eco Centre
Discover Marine and Wildlife Eco Centre
Discover Marine and Wildlife Eco Centre
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
One of Rarotonga's newest must see attractions, featuring amazing live exhibits and interactive displays. Discover jaw-dropping coconut crabs, astonishing stonefish, stunning aquarium fish, inspiring natural history, cinema and so much more in this unique Cook Island Marine and Wildlife Centre. Interactive and informative displays make learning about our natural world and ecology fun!
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
Features animals
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Restaurants
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Attractions
12 within 6 miles
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
79 reviews
Excellent
49
Very good
27
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Leigh D
11 contributions
Feb 2023
Small but educational. Iced coffee at the Lickity Split was to die for. Worth the trip around the island on its own. Only concern was the admission fee was a little high
Written March 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kelly B
Whakapapa, New Zealand166 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
What a lovely little place, the lady was so friendly and welcoming and told us a lot about the animals she’s rescued and about releasing back into the wild. only 12$. Lots info on the islands plus natives and ship wrecks. Touch pool with star fish, native birds and coconut crabs. Changes constantly as other species get rescued and released. Coffee was great. Thankyou!
Written March 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
carmel c
Auckland, New Zealand22 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Don't miss out on this little gem of a place on your visit to Rarotonga. Tucked in behind an ice cream parlour / cafe is a an interesting exhibit of local wildlife ecosystems and marine history with a multitude of items to keep the whole family engrossed for an hour or two. The young and "young at heart" will love being able to get up close and personal with a few south pacific critters including coconut crabs, a fledgling and baby white tern chick, stonefish, and blue starfish. The history of foreign whaling in the Cook Islands and its detriment impact on the ecosystem is well covered.
Love the work being done here to rescue and restore the injured birds so they can be returned to the wild.
Love the work being done here to rescue and restore the injured birds so they can be returned to the wild.
Written March 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Nonavee
Auckland, New Zealand2 contributions
Jan 2023
What a wonderful educational visit! They happened to have rescued one just the other day, which came up in the beach (not a good sign). Stephanie told us all about her care of the turtle while at her ice cream and coffee shop duties as well! It was just $39 for a family pass.
We got to see a coconut crab as well. There was a touch pool with sea stars, and sea cucumbers, there were tanks with sea life such as a stone fish, and baby puffer fish.
We also saw skeletons and jaw bones of many creatures, including sharks and turtles, museum objects of the past such as old diving and whaling gear, info boards on how islands are formed and the nearby island group.
I also really enjoyed their artwork by locals - and their coffees and ice-creams are great.
We got to see a coconut crab as well. There was a touch pool with sea stars, and sea cucumbers, there were tanks with sea life such as a stone fish, and baby puffer fish.
We also saw skeletons and jaw bones of many creatures, including sharks and turtles, museum objects of the past such as old diving and whaling gear, info boards on how islands are formed and the nearby island group.
I also really enjoyed their artwork by locals - and their coffees and ice-creams are great.
Written January 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ange Z
Melbourne, Australia10 contributions
Jan 2023 • Family
What a great little treasure in Rarotonga. The exhibits were very well displayed and there was so much useful information, not only about sea creatures, but about the island and it’s history as well. Getting to see a live coconut crab and stonefish and pat a sea cucumber and starfish was pretty special. The lady who runs the centre is lovely and she even has a cafe you can stay and eat/drink at. Plenty of nice items on the menu, not to forget the ice cream as well! It’s also very affordable for families. Definitely worth putting on your must do list.
Written January 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Stephen
Waipu, New Zealand4 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
It was absolutely amazing! It was so informative and the artefacts that they have I wasn’t expecting. It talks about all the different islands, the whale history of the Cook Island and information about all sorts of sea. The lady also asked if we wanted to watch her feed the stone fish, now that was a sight to see!
Written November 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Charlottec81
Cambridge, New Zealand128 contributions
Nov 2022 • Family
We stopped off here today while out and about sightseeing. We took our girls, aged 4 and 6, with the giant crab on our list of things to see. It cost $39 for our family of four, so very reasonable and it supports a good cause. The crab didn’t disappoint - freaked out my 4 year old and will give her some great memories of Raro. The girls loved being able to touch the star fish, and the stone fish was pretty impressive too. The collection is really interesting. A small little attraction but worth a stop.
Written November 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Chiepink
Auckland, New Zealand142 contributions
Oct 2022
We did want to visit this place at some point. We had the chance to visit this place as we were already in the area and we were passing time before a tour we booked in. This was affordable. There was a lovely lady at the shop who was friendly. This was a little spot with A LOT of displays. Nothing fancy in this place - just a genuine exhibit of items. My 5 year old son (and myself) enjoyed the Touch Pool which had sea cucumbers, star fish and a sea urchin. There was also a big crab and lots of aquariums with beautiful fish. There was a rock fish which was impressive looking - no wonder they gave it that name. I encourage people to visit this spot.
Written October 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
YouCantKillAwesome
Palmerston North, New Zealand104 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
Reading the other reviews, I wonder if we were in the same place. What started out as interesting visit suddenly ended. Has potential, but for the $12 each entry, it is just too short. While I am all in favor of people finding a way to make some money, this is an example of making money for nothing.
Unfortunately, when we visited the tanks were mostly empty, there was nothing to really look at.
The static displays are interesting, but we were there for probably 20 minutes, so felt over charged. We both agree that $5 or 6 per person would be fair.
Unfortunately, when we visited the tanks were mostly empty, there was nothing to really look at.
The static displays are interesting, but we were there for probably 20 minutes, so felt over charged. We both agree that $5 or 6 per person would be fair.
Written October 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Johno C
New Zealand2 contributions
Sep 2022 • Family
Had nice coffee and lemonade in the cafe then went into the eco center.
Some very interesting information about the various islands' geography.
We were lucky enough to see the rescued bird have his wings exercised and the stonefish be fed in the aquarium. Plenty of interesting fish and facts, definitely recommend!
The woman obviously cares a lot for the animals and had plenty of cool info for us.
Some very interesting information about the various islands' geography.
We were lucky enough to see the rescued bird have his wings exercised and the stonefish be fed in the aquarium. Plenty of interesting fish and facts, definitely recommend!
The woman obviously cares a lot for the animals and had plenty of cool info for us.
Written September 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
milz31
Rooty Hill, Australia
How much is it to get in?
Stephenie J
Rarotonga, Cook Islands3 contributions
Hi, we are still on our opening special prices, $9 for an adult and $7 for a child. Next year prices will go up slightly.
Discover Marine and Wildlife Eco Centre (Arorangi) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Discover Marine and Wildlife Eco Centre
- Discover Marine and Wildlife Eco Centre is open:
- Mon - Fri 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
- Sat - Sat 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Hotels near Discover Marine and Wildlife Eco Centre:
- (0.04 mi) Te Moana Nui Villa
- (0.09 mi) Rarotonga Backpackers
- (0.07 mi) Sunset Palms Rarotonga
- (0.19 mi) Castaway Resort
- (0.49 mi) Magic Reef Bungalows
- Restaurants near Discover Marine and Wildlife Eco Centre:
- (0.08 mi) Wilson's Beach Bar & Restaurant - Castaway Resort
- (0.12 mi) Beluga
- (0.07 mi) The Falafel Shack
- (0.27 mi) Pacific Fish and Chip Shop
- (0.57 mi) The Waterline Restaurant & Beach Bar