We spent a good hour at the discovery centre and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. The staff were very knowledgeable and good with the kids. The highlights were the microscope where we got to see live sea creatures magnified on a big screen, we got to touch creatures in their touch and feel pool, and my daughter got to feed an octopus. I would recommend this if you have kids, it was great fun...(and reasonably priced).

confining an octopus to a tiny glass box is horrendous, they are highly intelligent creatures, they have the same intelligence as a dog or a three year old child, they are not a slug. they are shy solitary creatures, and should not be on display in glaring light with nowhere to hide from the unwanted constant attention. we have emailed the discovery centre about this and they never even bothered to reply. there is growing international recognition of the cruelty of confining octopus, NZ lagging behind as usual.

The discovery centre is really cool. They have interactive exhibits and a tank where you can get to see marine life up close! The building sits right off the ocean as well, so the scenery is beautiful. Makes for a very fun and educational afternoon.

Beautiful beach! Perfect for a day trip. Bring a snorkeling kit or hire a kit/transparent canoe. Really good marine life that you are able to get close up to.

What a fantastic experience. Inexpensive and a hands on experience for the kids where you can touch starfish and play with the sea creatures. Staff were friendly and seemed genuinely interested in the experience. Parking onsite despite the signs saying there is no parking. $20 for a family pass.

Thoroughly recommend this little museum. My kids (4 and 6) loved it and the staff made a real effort to make it a fun and educational experience. They loved picking up starfish, sea cucumbers and touching sea urchins. The microscope was great fun for them too!

Smaller than expected but really well designed and staffed. It was a stink weather day and this was 2-3 hours of massive enjoyment and interaction for a four and a forty year old!

Just awesome, some would say double awesome, lots of interactive displays to engage with, super friendly and talkative staff and a touch tank filled with marine critters you can interact with, although I don't recommend touching the bitey bitey crabs... Also they have a super playful octopus. If your looking for a nice day trip I thoroughly recommend this one.

A bit of a drive to get there (windy road) how ever parking is okay. We went with a group so a explanation to us about the work being done for preservation of the sea, the history of the facility, made for an interesting morning. Plenty of display and interaction available

Perfect place for snorkeling in clear water and having big snapper swim along side you.

After visiting 20 years ago, it's not the same. I was unable to as many fish used to be

It’s cool but I’d like a small tour of the research facility or more creatures? My child loved the microscopes. As someone with ADHD it was a bit of a reading overload and a lot of crossover audio. I loved the amount of seating availability (so much that once my overstimulated brain made me fall asleep on the couch!) the person working was super passionate and friendly (a fellow American, go banana slugs!) the parking is a bit inconvenient as my mobility isn’t the best but it’s still a cool spot to check out and learn. I particularly loved the little snippets from PHD candidates and their projects, and the focus on women in science! Hope to see this place develop more (I’d love guided dives or to be involved in citizen science projects!)

Lots of fun for a family with an 8-year old. The staff were amazing, taking time to show us the microscope and develop our knowledge of the various sea life. Touch pool was fun also. Reasonably priced and worth spending an hour if your near Leigh. Very limited parking - we parked at the Goat Island reserve site and walked 3 mins to the centre.

There had been a cyclone in the region when I visited 4 years ago so the waters were too choppy and swirling with particulates to see anything while snorkeling.

Nice Wonderful experience The lady was highly welcoming too Thanks for a pleasant experience

Interesting and interactive exhibition for all ages. Worth the trip!

Interesting educational centre very informative