Fodor's Expert Review Aquarium des Lagoons Nouvelle Caledonie

Opened in 2007 at a cost of around $18 million, the Aquarium of the Lagoon is a wonderful place to while away a few hours. You can view sea turtles, sharks, stonefish, and the ubiquitous sea snake, along with 150 other species of underwater creatures. The trophy is the nautilus, an ancient mollusk with a hard, spiral shell. The original aquarium (opened in the 1956 and the forerunner to this new building) was the first in the world to display a nautilus in captivity. Exhibits are arranged with a variety of themes and tanks—freshwater, lagoons, mangroves, coastal, the open sea, and the ocean depths, which is where the nautilus dwells. The fluorescent living corals are a popular display.