Kelly Tarlton's shark bus for sale

This shark bus could be yours. Photo / Supplied

Kelly Tarlton's iconic shark bus, which has ferried visitors to Auckland's much-loved aquarium for 11 years is now, up for sale on Trade Me.

Bids for the bus have already topped $14,000, though prospective buyers should be warned that the vehicle does not hold a current Certificate of Fitness, has done more than 378,000km and has a few dings.

Turner's, which has listed the vehicle on behalf of the aquarium - which has suffered badly during the Covid downturn - said the truck was "a really jawsome opportunity to sink your teeth into" and while the auctioneer hasn't responded to an online query about its buoyancy, they did say it had been "puddle tested" and "drives swimmingly".

One movie buff asked Turner's an important question online about the roadworthiness of the shark bus in the event of extreme weather.

"How heavy is the bus? Could it be picked up by a tornado?" they asked.

Worryingly, Turner's response was: "It's 3600kg on an empty stomach so could be within the grips of a sharknado".

This shark bus could be yours. Photo / Supplied

Daniel Henderson, general manager at Sea Life Kelly Tarlton's, told TVNZ that it was time for the shark bus to slip the net.

"It's the end of an era but the time is right to retire the shark bus, which was becoming a bit "flakey" – starting to be known more for being on the back of a tow truck than carrying passengers," he said.